Butterflies
by SamuShark
Summary: After a couple of wasted months littered with nothing but cowardice, hesitation and restraint, Chitoge Kirisaki finally decides to confess her blossoming love to the incredibly dense Raku Ichijou at full speed. But doing so would unknowingly affect the fates of those around her. Could it be the worst decision she would ever make? Or her greatest gamble?
1. Chapter 1 - Your Call

**Prologue**

She couldn't bring him back.

Like a helpless and hopeful little girl, she began to rub the rock like there was no tomorrow. Its pure white shimmer had died out a long time ago, and now, she stood at the edge of the universe without the hope of escaping. It wouldn't take too long for her to succumb to the endless depths of the timeless void; to become a microscopic part of the endless universe she had believed to be broken due to her own youthful mistake.

With her rich golden locks swaying against the tangled strands of time, her sky blue eyes grew wet with tears, glistening like an ocean of pure sorrow.

"Raku." She called out, with her voice gradually weakening in the darkness.

"Please, don't leave me here."

* * *

 _ **"Love is a smoke made with the fume of sighs." - William Shakespeare**_

* * *

 **Chapter 1**

"Darling." She loved calling him that. Well, It was the only name she could call him whenever they're seen together as a forged couple. Even when saying it aloud, the butterflies in her stomach would flutter vigorously like that of a carrion of rabid moths. Well, speaking of odd bodily reactions, the heiress looked extremely feverish during the past few weeks, blushing uncontrollably when around him. The poor lad would valiantly rush to the pharmacy to buy her some medicine, despite the fact that she never even needed it in the first place. It frustrated her, and yet, aroused her, despite never admitting to that. Yes, Chitoge Kirisaki was a blossoming girl in love.

Clad in her newly bought blouse and a pair of unfitting sneakers, Chitoge sat with Raku on a park bench during one of their many scheduled fake dates.

Her cheeks reddened the moment she blurted out that one word. Her lips tingling, as if the words were something too weird or embarrassing to say; it was casual; heck, she'd been calling him that for over a year since they first played out that act of false love to mitigate the conflict between their families' criminalized factions. She paused for a moment, her eyes shifting away from his gaze.

"What is it, Honey?" Raku Ichijou asked, his eyebrows raised with concern. "I'd hate to be corny and all, but is there something bothering you lately?"

"D-Don't state the obvious, idiot." she replied. Damn, that was extremely rude. Her stoic tone, the narrowed look in her nervous eyes and the commonplace insult she sprinkled at the end made it look like she hated his company; and it would probably turn him off if he misinterpreted what she blurted out in response.  
 _Damn it, Chitoge! Stop messing around!_ She thought to herself as she took a quick glance at his clueless face, a few of her fingers lightly touching her lips.

 _Well, I hadn't noticed it yet, but Chitoge looks really cute today._ As those words traced their way through Raku's thoughts, he desperately wanted to hit his head against the nearest tree.  
 _What the fuck, man? Why the hell are you complimenting her looks all of a sudden?! This isn't like you. Shouldn't you be thinking about Onodera at a time like this?!_  
Yes, this certainly wasn't like him. Although it was normal for boys his age to openly and secretly compliment girls, he didn't want to go womanizing those around him. (Despite the fact that he unknowingly created a harem of his own, much to the displeasure of the male populace of Bonyari High.)

"What're you looking at?" Chitoge asked nervously.

Pulling back to reality from his inner monologue, Raku replied, "Nothing, I was just thinking about... stuff."

"What kinds of stuff?" She persisted, her eyes narrowed, unsatisfied with his vague answer. "Surely there are a lot of things worth thinking about."

"Well, it's about school." He quickly responded. Honestly, if something completely random were to pop out of his head, why wouldn't it be about school? After all, that's where they've spent most of their precious time together.

"Wow, look at you. The ever promising student." She chuckled nervously, her words dripping with sarcasm, as if he wasn't smart enough to talk about such things, intentions aside. "Honestly, that has a nice ring to it, don't you think?"

"Hey, just because I look like an absolute tool to you, doesn't mean that I can't talk about my education." He spoke the words in the gentlest way he could, not yet understanding why he did. Sure, he's was used to talking back to her with aggression, and so did she. But Claude wasn't around to watch over them, so he didn't have to put on the act of being the kindest boyfriend the world has ever seen.

"Yeah, I know. It's just that..."

"What?" Raku asked sheepishly. "You've been staring at me like a weirdo."

Chitoge's cheeks flushed ever so slightly. "I-Is school really what you're thinking about?" She continued, as she turned away to hide her heated face.

"Chitoge, you really are my best friend." He stated as he gave her a warm and calming smile.

 _Best friend?_ She thought as her heart slowly sank. _Stupid ass beansprout. Ruining everything with two simple words. When will you ever stop calling me that!?_

"Darling." Chitoge spoke up as she slowly leaned closer to Raku. His eyes lightened up, as if he has gazed upon something extremely odd, yet amazing at the same time.

"Claude's not watching, Chitoge. You don't have to embarrass yourself by calling me-"

"I don't care if he's watching or not!"

Her voice amped up a hundred times than usual, as if she was mad at him about something gravely serious.

"What's with that voice of yours? I'm just trying to give you some air to breathe." He said, his heart skipping a few beats. _Damn it. She's too close. And she smells really good too..._ He thought as his cheeks faintly flushed. _Why am I nervous!?_

"Listen up, stupid beansprout. I can call you "darling" whenever... and wherever I want, i-is that c-clear to you?" She asked with an authoritative demeanor, despite being on the verge of choking on her own words as she said them directly to his face.

"E-Even if it's just the two of us together? Isn't that a bit, you know...weird?" He asked with his eyes widened with curiosity.

Chitoge's heart skipped a beat as she began to think about her response. It was a "yes" or "no" question, but an answer like that would be too vague and subtle. She needed to make the answer socially acceptable for him to...dismiss?

Did she really want that to happen? For her words to be dismissed as a simple act of friendship? Sure, they were friends, 'best friends' to be exact, but she didn't want them to stay just that was forever. She wanted to tell him how she felt; even promising herself before the gods at the shrine that she would be able to be aggressive and obvious when around him. Were those vows for nothing? Would she just cower away when there was a clear chance right in front of her?

She wouldn't allow that, never in her life. But if she hadn't backed down at all, they would've been dating for real, right at this very moment.

"Even if we were the last people in the earth, I would still call you that." She blurted out, her heart rapidly beating.

"What?" Raku blurted out, like that of a deaf man being unsure of what he had just heard.

"Idiot! Are you deaf? Don't you realize how hard that was for me to say?!" She yelled with frustration, as she pulled away from him.

"Why?" He asked, curiosity tweaking.

In that moment, Chitoge's thoughts were completely scrambled. And now what? Could she drop the bomb? By telling him that she's was flat out, extremely in love with him? Doing such a thing would be incredibly reckless and stupid.

And what if he said 'no'? It would break her heart into little pieces. If that would be the fruit of her actions, then how could she even consider speaking the words in the first place. But one possibility resonated along with the strings of her still beating heart:

What if he says 'yes'?

* * *

She needed to take the shot. Sure, the chances of being accepted are indeed slim, but it would be extremely satisfying to hear him speak the lines she's always craved for a long time; hearing the words, 'I love you too" would be an impossibility being realized. If those words fell upon her ears, there wouldn't be a way to keep her from smiling; day or night; 24/7.

Without a further thought, she began to speak; to say what she really wanted to say for the past few months. As her delicate lips pursed and gaped, her thoughts began to race away like wildfire.

"Raku, do you remember the time when I asked you _that_ question at the beach?" Chitoge asked sheepishly, scratching nervously at the back of her neck.

"Do you mean back when we were by the seaside at night? The day you stopped talking to me."

 _He remembered._ She thought, as her eyes slowly lit up. "So, c-could I ask that question one more time?" Her tongue slipped as she said it, as if the words weren't intended to be mentioned in the first place.

"Sure". He smiled, but the look on his face could say only 'clueless'.  
 _Crap, it's too late! Chitoge probably thinks that I remember everything that happened on that trip!_ Raku thought, a thick bead of cold sweat trailing down the side of his face. _How can I possibly-_

"If we were really dating now, w-would it work out?"

She said it. Her heart pounded; she avoided his gaze, worried what his first reaction might be. Maybe if she would be brave enough to look, he would be smiling heavily now. Such a possibility wasn't worth dismissing.

"C-Chitoge..." The clueless beansprout began to blush heavily as he realized what she had asked."Chitoge!?" He repeated, the strands of his dark blue hair abruptly standing up like that of having goosebumps.

"What? W-Why are you repeating my name all of a sudden?!" She exclaimed as her body began to shiver with chills of excitement. "Just answer my question!"

He didn't know what to say. He felt like a steaming teapot with a few gashes of smoke streaming out. Before he could help himself, Raku began smiling uncontrollably.

 _Why is he giving me that dumb look? W-Wait! W-Wha...What!? Was he smiling just now?! I wasn't expecting this! Time out! Time out! The golden-haired lass thought as she anxiously awaited for his reply. M-Maybe I should leave it at that. Yeah! This is probably the best reaction I could handle right now. Maybe I should just tell him to tell me another ti-_

"It would." He muttered under his breath.

 _Wait! Am I really hearing this?_

"Well, having your best friend as a partner would be awesome, don't you think?" He added, beginning to chuckle, as if it was the aftermath of some elaborate verbal prank Chitoge apparently played on him.

"Why aren't you taking this seriously!?" She yelled with a glint of fury, vigorously shuffling her golden locks with her soft delicate hands out of sheer frustration. "Am I really only a best friend to you, stupid beansprout!?"

 _What the hell is up with her today?_ Raku thought as he grew silent after enduring her rather inexplicable outbursts.

"Is being my best friend the worst thing in the world, Chitoge?" He gazed into her eyes with a rather saddened look on his face.

"No! That's not the point." She replied almost immediately, with her hands still tightly grabbing both of her now ruffled-up locks. "I...I have someone I like!" Chitoge whispered, her face heavily flushed and the tone of her voice being nervously unstable.

"Didn't you tell me that a few months back?" Raku shuddered as he remembered getting extremely agitated over her words. Chitoge nodded slowly, her eyes wandering down towards her shoes.

"Darling...maybe I should say what I mean a little louder?" The gangster heiress gently asked.

"What're you talking about? Your tone is already loud enough for me to-"

"I think I'm in love with you, Raku." She smiled as she said those words gently, knowing that he would probably throw her away once he heard them.

"Chitoge! Whoa, I know you like to mess around with my head, but I don't think that's a good way to do it." He laughed nervously as he shook his head frantically.

"I'm actually serious!" She exclaimed as she began grabbing his arms tightly with both hands, leaning closer to him as she did. The young lad was definitely in a pinch. How could he respond to Chitoge's extremely peculiar words, while having another girl on his mind? Should he play along? No, he wouldn't do that; that would be extremely stupid. If he was really her best friend, he couldn't hurt her with more lies. All I can do now is be honest, even if that means spouting some hard truths.

* * *

 _ **"Expectation is the root of all heartache." - William Shakespeare**_

* * *

With a huge gasp of air, Raku began to respond. "I'm really sorry." He said as his face began to redden. "I don't think I could say the same, Chitoge."

Chitoge could've swore that her heart stopped beating for a few moments after having the misfortune of hearing Raku's honesty. Sure, she considered rejection a possibility, but she wasn't as prepared for this as she thought.

"Why?" Her innocent blue eyes started to tear up, as she gradually loosened her grip on his arms. "Am I not good enough for you, idiot!?" She couldn't control herself. The act of suppressing tears of sorrow was too much for her.

The air around them shifted into dead silence, with only the muffled sound of Chitoge's sniffling breaking it. Peering into those sky blue eyes, now overflowing with streams of salty tears, Raku felt something inside him wither and die. It felt so wrong for him to tell her that so soon; despite his intentions, he'd ended up hurting her more than he'd thought. Well, who the hell is he kidding with, anyway? Every girl would react that way, regardless of whether it was in front of him or not and he knew that; He knew that truth, and in spite of that, the beansprout went on and did the deed without thinking twice.

Why did this particular situation felt so different for him? Something in his heart urged him to take those words back; to tell her that he loved her; that he cared for her and that he wanted to spend the rest of his days with her. But the image of a fair skinned brunette crept back into his mind, holding him back from doing so.

"Don't listen to what I've just said." he suddenly muttered, causing the weeping blonde to flinch, with her watery eyes lighting up. What are you saying, Raku? he thought to himself as he absentmindedly muttered those words. "I've probably given you my answer too soon without thinking it through", he continued, subconsciously questioning his actions.

"What do you mean by 'thinking it through?'" whimpered Chitoge, who was wiping her tears with her delicate hands.

"It means that..." he suddenly trailed off, leaving the perplexed heiress confused.  
"It means that I'm not sure about what I feel about you. W-Whether I like you...or not." he continued.

"Liar. That's just another way of saying no." she barked, with her wet, shimmering cheeks lighting up once more.

"I'm telling you the truth here, okay?" Raku responded almost instantaneously, as if there were a lot more flaws in that statement for him to defend.

"Stop trying to make me feel better, idiot. It hurts more if you lie to me like that." Chitoge said, with her face avoiding the beansprout's gaze.

"D-Do you want me to prove it to you then?" he raised his voice as loud enough to break the ongoing void that is the silence around them.

"G-Go on, then!" she smirked slightly, with the tears in her eyes drying out. "If what you're saying is true, then you'll have to make up your mind and tell me your answer right this instant!" Chitoge continued, the tone in her voice growing more desperate by the minute.

"Why do you always want to rush things? Besides, they're my feelings, so it would probably take days, months or heck, even years to figure them out." Raku replied. "It's not that easy to make up, you know?"

"Huh? Well then, Mr. Feels, let me show you how easy it is to tell you my answer!" Upon uttering those words, the yellow haired heiress suddenly stood up from the bench they were sitting on, planting the rough rubber soles of her sneakers firmly on the neatly trimmed ground beneath her.

"What are you doing, Chitoge?" he asked, with his eyes widening with perplexity.

"I'm going to say it again. Right to your face, right now." she smirked as she said it, as if it was something really entertaining to do.

"You do realize that we're in a park right? Anyone could come barge in any minute, and plus, this is totally embarrassing." Raku couldn't help but feel extremely weirded out. It was too good to be true for a girl like Chitoge to be confessing to him in public, but for the sake of the common good, couldn't it wait?

"I know that." she replied, as if it wasn't really that of a big deal. "Please, Raku. This could possibly be my only chance."

"W-What do you mean by-"

"I love you, you stupid-ass beansprout!" she yelled, as if they were the only people left in the entire world. But of course, anybody could hear such words spoken so loudly in the face of the public, and it just so happened that a fair-skinned brunette, clad in her flawless white sundress was hiding behind the grove of trees.

"Chitoge-chan..."

* * *

 **A/N**

 **Well, I've put a lot of effort in cooking up this one. I hope you guys liked the first chapter. I know it may be dull and too rushed in some places, so please bear with me. I don't usually like asking it, but I could use a couple of reviews here and there, and please tell me what you want to see in the next chapter in order to make things more interesting.**

 **Update: I'm pretty sure some of you have noticed some minor changes in the first and upcoming chapters. Say hello to my new editor, Firesparq! He'll be the one in charge for correcting some of my grammatical errors, writing mistakes and what not. And I'm extremely thankful for the wonderful job he's done.**


	2. Chapter 2 - Shiver

_**"The course of true love never did run smooth." - William Shakespeare**_

* * *

 **Chapter 2**

Her heart sank from the words she had overheard from afar, leaning back against the skinny trunks of the abrasive trees.

They felt so lively, and all too real... no, she wasn't referring to her herbaceous friends, whose shadow unintentionally cloaked her from the sight of the pair. Instead, she was referring to Chitoge Kirisaki's extremely vocal confession. Given, it wasn't something that she could ever do herself, but she had just witnessed her dear friend shouting it out aloud for everyone to hear, like a lioness marking down her territory; fear clenched her heart.

She didn't want to hear it in the first place. The thought of the gangster heiress eventually falling for the boy actually crossed her mind multiple times; a thought that had kept her worried, extremely uneasy and sometimes deprived of sleep. Kosaki Onodera hadn't even considered running into them on the weekends, and to think that she managed to converge paths with the pair at the wrong place, and at the wrong time. Who would ever thought that a simple Sunday stroll would turn into a one-sided game of hide and seek?

A part of her wanted to leave that place, to vanish into the shadows, while another urged her to stay. Kosaki didn't want to end up getting hurt by what would most likely happen in the next minute, but she needed to hear his response. After all, it would just as likely that he would just reject Chitoge...right?

In that moment, she felt like a soldier hiding behind the broken walls of the enemy base; bullets flying all around her. If she attempted to look out from her hiding place, she would end up getting shot...or realistically, noticed; something that could potentially ruin their small group's friendships.

Despite her somewhat suspicious behavior, Kosaki was dressed in eye-catching attire; a white sundress with frills and laces dangling at the rims. Haru insisted on her wearing that thing before she left the house. Kosaki could help but feel uncomfortable, knowing full well that it would draw the attention of those around her.

Closing her eyes slowly, Kosaki slumped against the rough wooden surface behind her. Maybe I'm just overthinking what could happen next... she thought to herself as her senses gradually heightened. But if I left now...would it be worth it?

Raku couldn't help but notice a happiness bubbling in his stomach. Happiness… was that the feeling that defined the rapid beating of one's heart? The tingly fluffiness that tickled the soul? That it made one smile? That's probably not it, and Raku knew it. As he sat there on the bench staring into her sparkling blue eyes, something told him he needed to think of a response, and quickly. And what would that do then? He thought to himself as he suddenly looked away from her, perplexing the blonde lass to no avail. Would it do any good if I just flat out told her how I felt right now or continue lying to her if I don't?

Standing abruptly, Raku rose quickly to stand in a similar manner to Chitoge's.

He looks like he's about to leave. She thought, her eyes slowly tearing up at the thought.

"Aren't you going to say anything?" she called out, with her voice shaken and broken.  
"Isn't this supposed to be the part where you say that you love me too?" she continued, her tone slowly turning bitter.

"Who knows?" he responded, his voice sounding stoic and serious. "I could walk away at any moment", he continued, promptly turning his back to her, "So keep your eyes peeled."

That was it! She'd had it with his extremely dense behavior. And what was worse? He even placed those horrid words in the same sentence to mess with her head again. But it looked like he really was going to do as he inferred, judging by the tone of his voice, the firmness of his body and the intensity simmering in his eyes. Chitoge's heart sank rapidly like that of the Titanic in 1912. She had to stop him before he took his first steps away from her; if she said nothing, she might lose him for good. With her eyes closed, brows bent and fists balled, she snapped. She needed to knock some sense into insensitive bastard, no matter how much it would hurt her.

"I'VE HAD IT WITH YOU!" Chitoge yelled with all her might, her voice all cracking up at the end, only to be followed by silent sniffles. Thankfully, nobody else was walking through the park at that time, with the exception of a concealed and shocked Kosaki Onodera, who sat within the vegetation, her mouth covered by her pale hands.

"Why did it have to be you that I fell in love with?!" the blonde heiress barked loudly, with the veins in her shaking fists thickening by the minute.

Raku stopped in his tracks, unmoving and unspeaking.

"Say something, idiot!"

It hurt. She wanted to hit him hard. "Face me like a man!" I can't... She taunted, with her face clearly giving away her mixed feelings of sadness and frustration. "Why do you have to be such a fucking-"

"Shut up." He muttered as he finally turned back to face her.

* * *

Thump.

What is this warm feeling? The blonde heiress pondered, lost in her confusion. She felt something firm pressing against her body, without the intention of letting go. It was Raku, hugging her in the most awkward way she could possibly describe one to do at a park.

"Do you think I would be stupid enough to just leave you here?" he muttered nervously with his face turning crimson red.

"B-But, you said that..."

"Keep your eyes peeled, right?" he responded calmly.

With her chest pressing against his, she could feel his heartbeat resonating with hers, both rhythms unusually fast for a pair of quarrelling teens held in such relaxed position such as this.

"You're such a dork." she responded with a sniffle, tears welling in her eyes once again. "An idiot beansprout dork!" she exclaimed, with the tears in her eyes gradually thickening like syrup.

"I'm sorry." he whispered in her ear as he carefully caressed her hair in a rather platonic manner. "I shouldn't have said those things to you. It's just that I didn't have the time to think out what happened earlier. And to be completely honest with you, I wasn't prepared to react to your...y-your..."

"Confession?" she sniffed, her eyes sparkling like a horde of shimmering stars.

"Yeah. That." Raku's cheeks flushed as he said it. "It just felt so surreal; like I was in some dream or something; as if you never spoke those words at all." he continued.

"Is that so?" Chitoge asked as her arms started to wrap themselves around his waist. "Then I would say it again, over and over until you would understand. Thick headed idiot."

Chitoge... he thought as he gazed into her sincere looking eyes; her face graced with a smile that would ease any heart of those who looked upon it. That's right. I've been lying to myself this whole time. I've been harbouring some feelings for Chitoge for quite a while now, yet I've been rejecting them and dismissing them over and over again. And now, it turns out that the person she likes all this time...is me.

"I love you, Raku." she whispered, her smile still beaming with unwavering innocence. Even though he had heard those words from her more than once, that sentence still caught him off-guard.

"You don't have to say that again." Raku protested gently.

"Why is that?" she asked, tightening her grip around his waist.

"It's just not...fair." he explained briefly, with his eyes closing as he trailed off.

"Why did it have to be fair all of the sudden? This is not a game of cards you know."

"It's because I haven't told you my answer yet." he stated, a look of determination on his face, like it was his destiny to say those words only to the one closest to his heart. "Listen, Chitoge...I..."

"Stop." she commanded, with a single finger pressing against his lips to silence him. This perplexed the beansprout to no end. And after all what happened today, she would be able to cut him off just like that? He deserved it for unintentionally breaking and fixing her heart all in one afternoon. Silence was probably the best punishment for him, for now, that is.

"I don't want to pressure you into saying the wrong things." Chitoge said, as she slowly leaned towards the left side of his face, her eyes closed and a peaceful look on her face.

She lightly pecked Raku's cheek and gently loosened her grip around him. His heart fluttered as he felt her soft lips touch the surface of his skin. It felt like he could fly around the world in moments; like he could conquer the entire galaxy with the tip of his fingers.

"You can let go of me now." she smiled as her cheeks flushed red.

"What was that for?!" he exclaimed as he nervously let her go.

"Think of it as a little gift from yours truly." she winked as she slightly lifted the rims of her skirt, with the intention of scrambling up his mind into utter confusion.

"T-That's not cool, Chitoge! Not cool!" the flustered beansprout protested, a truckload of steam jutting out of the back of his head like a boiled out tea pot. Naturally, Chitoge burst into laughter.

"W-What's so funny?" he muttered as he crossed his arms.

"The pathetic look on your face looked ridiculous!" Chitoge giggled softly.

"I couldn't help it. That was the first time you've taunted me like that, I didn't know how to react." Raku explained as he gently scratched the back of his head, looking at the ground below him.

"I wasn't taunting." she stated as she jokingly pushed him away on one side. "And plus, you're acting as if I've never kissed your cheek before", the now jovial blonde continued, her eyes finally drying out like the aftermath of a quick summer rain.

"And look at you. Acting all jolly and stuff, as if you never cried like a baby in the first place." the beansprout teased as he gently flicked her on the forehead.

"Hey, that hurts!" she blurted out, rubbing her forehead repeatedly with her delicate fingers.

"Believe me, I did it with only 5% of my physical strength." Raku smiled as he gently nudged her back for before.

"You're lying", Chitoge muttered, her left hand still resting on the surface of her forehead.

"No I'm not", he replied.

"Idiot".

"Gorilla".

* * *

After a few seconds of staring into each other's eyes, the pair managed to crack up into a fit of awkward laughter.

"C'mon, we've been standing here for nearly 8 minutes. Go treat me some ramen already." Chitoge smirked as she playfully tugged his shirt like an eager, innocent little girl.

"Fine, just don't eat too much." Raku responded, his hands now buried deep into his pockets.

"I won't... Well, maybe". Chitoge grinned at the thought of her slurping into a steaming bowl of free noodles after going through such an emotional roller coaster of an afternoon.

No, that probably wasn't it

She grinned at the thought of actually kissing him...even if it was only on the cheek. It may not have been a scene straight out of The Notebook, but it was indeed something she would think about in the days to come, like a love struck schoolgirl; a pathetic, love struck school girl who looked like she's going to be married to her crush the very next day.

"What are you waiting for?" Raku called out, with the intent of deliberately catching her attention. "Let's go! Our date isn't over yet." he continued with a smile etched on his face.

"Date...huh?" she muttered silently, but it was loud enough for the beansprout to make out.

"So, um...hold my hand?" the heiress pleaded, her hand slightly extended, craving for his touch.

"Sure." he shrugged as their hands slowly intertwined.

"Promise you won't let go?" she asked, her shimmering blue eyes glistening as the sun's light illuminated them like sparkling gems.

"I won't."

* * *

 _ **"I love everything about you except the fact that you're not mine." - Anonymous**_

* * *

Kosaki bit her lip. Her slender, pale body had been shaking since she had laid eyes on the pair hugging each other. She had always wanted to be wrapped in Raku's broad and warm arms. She would have given anything for her to have switched places with Chitoge, even if only for a few moments in his arms. No, that's not true. She wanted him to be hers, and hers alone; not willing to share him with anyone else, even if it was someone she deeply cared about.

What the hell was she even thinking? She's was the ever so considerate, kind-hearted and saintly Kosaki Onodera. She shouldn't be considering such grim feelings, even if nobody knew she had them. Normally, she would brush most things off and smile regardless of the emotional pain it caused. But for some reason, she couldn't help but feel angered, annoyed and irritable; she couldn't help but feel extremely disheartened and melancholic; uncertain of what she knew of herself anymore.

It all seemed too wrong for the slender brunette. She wasn't like this; she didn't want to continue acting that way for the next few days; it would only confuse and cause trouble for those around her. But despite knowing this, it hurt to remember the scene that had unfolded before her. Despite her disapproval of how she was responding, she couldn't shake a feeling of anxiousness; like butterflies thrashing in her stomach. That's probably why I hate it.

She wanted to slap herself, reminding herself that it was just for show. After all, they were being forced to date each other to prevent more conflict between their families. So it'd totally normal for them to go all lovey dovey in public for all to see...right? Despite her best intentions to bring rational thought to her darkening, scrambled head, she couldn't bring herself to believe it. The brunette wanted to punch something with her delicate, fragile hands.

I don't want to stir up trouble for my own selfish needs. Besides, there plenty of other men in the world. It's not like Raku was exclusively made for me. He might be just another harsh lesson for me to learn more about life and its mysteries…

…might…

To hell with the other males in the world. She loved him, and she knew that she wouldn't fall for another. It just seemed too impossible and unthinkable to do; the thought of doing so hurt her. Even so, she couldn't blame Chitoge for unknowingly liking the same guy as her. Raku had a gentle soul, and she probably saw that in him every time the two would hook up for their scheduled fake dates; it was only natural that she'd eventually fall for him. But what Kosaki witnessed that afternoon was what she couldn't accomplish; conveying her feelings in the most passionate and vocal way imaginable.

Maybe she was just exaggerating things. Who know, it might be an embrace of friendship. Rejection, perhaps? That's also was a possibility. Whether she liked it or not, one thing was for certain: Kosaki was undeniably jealous.

* * *

 **So, that concludes the first chapter. First of all, I wanted to apologize to you guys for messing with your heads in the first chapter, and for taking a while to finish writing this. I hope I didn't disappoint you guys this time, and if I did, that would be an absolute bummer for me. Well, I wanna give some shout outs to ChaosOmega8, Echopapa1, Shiho M, sv, and Guest for taking their time on reading my flimsy little fic. It really warms my heart to see your reviews, and it gives me a lot of inspiration to write more. Even though I only have like around 1 fave and 3 follows as of this moment, it seems like a huge blessing for me. I hope you guys would continue supporting me on the way. There's still a lot for me to go through.**


	3. Chapter 3 - Relay

_**"The truth is, everyone is going to hurt you. You just got to find the ones worth suffering for." - Bob Marley**_

* * *

 **Chapter 3**

It was that day of the freaking week again.

Monday; that word alone caused countless students across the globe to cringe as if they had just seen Cannibal Holocaust for the first time.

As the early sun's rays mercilessly played across his partially opened eyes, Raku's thoughts turned to the things he'd have to do that morning. He had to wake up; an extremely tedious task to do in and of itself, particularly since the bed felt like it was made of the unbelievably comfortable laps of angels. He had to cook up an all-you-can-eat breakfast buffet for the grunts downstairs (a gruelling task he had to undertake every single weekday morning of his teenage life), and he needed to get himself dressed for school to pick up Chitoge along the way.

 _Chitoge._ The beansprout could've sworn his heart skipped a beat as he pictured the blonde heiress in a ghostly white nightgown, radiant morning light tickling the surface of her milky white skin.

 _I wonder what she would be doing...at a time like this?_ He pondered as his gaze tethered itself to the ceiling above him, as if the blank wooden space it offered was more than enough for him to escape the subtle, horrible reality that was 'Mondays'.

Rolling over, Raku glanced at his clock. Much to his surprise, it was still quite early in the morning; before seven. Pleased, he lay back onto his bed. With all the extra time he had, he'd still be able to slack around and waste some of his precious time in his pyjamas thinking about how beautiful she was.

What am I even thinking? It seemed so wrong to associate somebody as precious as her with the word "waste". Despite his upbringing within the darkness of the Japanese mafia (a crude reality he had reluctantly come to accept and live with), he'd grown up with a sense of chivalry drilled into him from a young age.

He quietly sighed as he sat up, slowly moving about, doing his morning routine. Well, it may have been his least favourite day of whole week, but something told him that it wouldn't be too bad; after all, he would get to see her again.

* * *

Her beautiful blue eyes fluttered, slowly opening in the morning light. Chitoge quickly sprung from her extremely grandiose bed dressed in her light pink pyjamas, like a jack-rabbit on a sugar rush. In her commotion, she caused the fluffy and fat pillows around her to bob along with the bed's wobbly motion.

Yesterday was amazing! She thought to herself, as she gently touched the soft surface of her lips with the tips of her fingers. I even kissed him on the cheek. The blonde heiress giggled like a cartoon character as she thought back at that exact moment, savouring every detail. But we didn't do anything interesting after that... she sighed in disappointment, her grin fading.

 _Oh, well. At least it's better than having zero progress at all. And besides, after all that drama, I get to stay in the house for the rest of the day, since it's Sunday~!_

Something didn't feel quite right. As soon as the hands on her alarm clock struck seven, the same dreaded beeping noise that triggered during the weekdays rung.

"Oh, right." the blonde heiress muttered with her eyes widened, slowly trying to process what was going on.

"It's Monday", she declared, with her voice slightly fading.

"B-But yesterday felt like a Saturday..." Chitoge paused. As the faint image of Raku suddenly crossed her mind without warning, her cheeks flushed bright red, the golden strands of her silky long hair slowly rising up as if she was floating in space.

"But...I'm not ready to face him yet. It's going to be so awkward!" she whined as she viciously grabbed the nearest pillow with the intent to repeatedly slamming it into the bed like a frustrated gorilla.

"Awkward, awkward, awkward, awkward, AWKWARD!" she cursed as the pillow was blasted back and forth across the cover-coated mattress.

Regardless of her lack of readiness to face normal life with the beansprout, there was nothing she could do to escape the situation. After all, it would only make him worried, confused and possibly pissed off if she bailed out on him on the way to school, as if nothing special had happened between them the day before.  
I'm not even sure...if this relationship is still fake or not. Why are these things never straight forward? He did hug me like it was his last day on earth, so does that mean that...he accepted me? Does that mean I'm like his real g-girl...friend?

Her eyes widened as that totally inconvenient and impossible thought crossed her uneasy mind; it somehow made her insatiably hungry for an answer coming straight from Raku's mouth. Otherwise she wouldn't be able to sleep tonight, with that question haunting her thoughts.

She wanted to know; no, she needed to know. The only thing that could actually make that happen was to get up, go straight to school and quickly muster up the courage to ask him without making things really awkward for him and perhaps, everyone else around them.

* * *

"Oh."

Much to Raku's disappointment, Chitoge wasn't on the stop where they'd usually met before school.  
What a total waste. He had even gone to the lengths of secretly using his father's expensive cologne.

* * *

"Shit!"

Chitoge was hiding behind the concrete wall around the corner from their usual meeting place, her heart rapidly beating. She could feel its intense rhythm through her fingers pressing against her chest, and the heiress could guarantee that it wasn't a good sign. Despite being clad in the same clothes he wore every day of the week, Raku looked more dashing than Chitoge had ever seen him. Honestly, it was too much for her to handle.

* * *

Chitoge couldn't stop glancing at him throughout class; she couldn't help it. It felt like she was stealthily taking freshly baked cookies from the cookie jar when nobody was paying attention. If this kept up, it would become some sort of weird compulsive habit that she wouldn't be able to refrain from doing.

Was it because his looks? Well, in a way. His dark indigo hair matched perfectly with his lightly tanned, fair skin and well chiselled physique; he looked delicious. She, of course, would never be caught admitting as such. She had so many questions and things she wanted to say, to the point that her lips tingled at the thought of speaking them. But from among her vast collection of silly, romantic phrases and questions she yearned to speak, a group of few words stood boldly out from the rest.

 _Are we dating for real?_

Great. And it only took five words in a single sentence to cause her anxiety to skyrocket. How could she pull this off? Class felt like forever, and time seemed to slowly tick by; it was infuriating. She wanted to continue scribbling down her notes; to jot down seemingly important information, but the heiress couldn't focus, her brain chaotic and anxious. Everything seemed to be in complete and utter gibberish.

She just wanted to get up from her seat with her head held high and drag Raku from the classroom with her brute strength like it was nobody's business. But there was no way she was going to be able to do such a thing in front of so many people. That would only make things more complicated for everyone involved, including him; not to mention getting herself in trouble for walking out of class without a teacher's permission; she'd have to write an apology note for it, which would be a total drag.

The only thing she could logically do in her current mental state was to wait for the perfect opportunity without doing anything irrational or stupid, no matter how challenging it was to sit still.

 _What's up with her today?_ The dense beansprout thought as he secretly glanced at Chitoge, the lower part of his slightly flustered face covered up with his left hand.  
It's like she's troubled or something. As if looking at her wasn't obvious enough. Her skin was paler than usual, her hair a slight mess and her eyes looked unfocused and perplexed, as if the heiress had absolutely no idea what she was actually doing. Truth be told, she looks incredibly vulnerable.

Raku wanted to say something to her. He wanted to playfully rub her shoulders, pull her hair, and pinch the surface of her rosy cheeks, anything to bring her back from her scattered thoughts. But the beansprout wasn't sure what she was grappling with. Even after all the time they had spent together, he still had trouble reading the heiress' emotions and behaviour at the best of times.

He couldn't help but glance once more at her, checking to see if he was indeed just seeing things. As his eyes shifted towards her troubled form, he found himself caught, lost in those blue pearls.

* * *

She was looking directly at him, her light pink lips pursed and her crystalline blue eyes widened as she made mutual eye contact with him. She wasn't expecting him to glance over her way, truth be told it shocked her a little to see the beansprout do so.  
 _Oh my God…_ she thought as she mentally gasped at the sight. _Did he just check me out or something?_

It was indeed pretty normal for guys like him to stare at a girl like her in class, but the special kind of feeling Raku's stare gave her was like that of the first time being looked at by a guy in her lifetime.

"What are you doing?" she mouthed, her eyes quickly diverting from his blank gaze as a gradual crimson blush crept across her face. Try as he might, Raku couldn't clearly make out what she was saying.

"What's up?" he greeted quietly as he slowly leaned back on his chair to take a good look at her; it looked flat-out embarrassing.

"Could you stop doing that? You're really bad at being subtle" she hissed back, promptly ignoring his greeting.

"You know I can't do that." Raku replied as he quickly took his pen from his desk and started writing something on his notebook. She couldn't make out what he scribbled on the smooth flat-lined page, not with Kosaki blocking the space between them.

"Onodera." Raku called out to the ominously silent girl sitting next to him, tugging her sleeves casually. "Onodera?" he repeated as he continued pulling the silky fabric.

"Ichijou-kun?" she politely responded, with her cheeks slightly flustered as she felt her clothes being forcefully pulled by the beansprout's hands. It felt really good and...naughty, to be honest, despite the fact it being too embarrassing for a girl like her to actually admit such a thought.

"Sorry for disturbing you. But could you pass this note to Chitoge?"

* * *

Her heart abruptly sank at the mention of her seatmate's short and childish name. The dramatic events from yesterday afternoon really had left her confidence wavering, but it wasn't enough for her to abruptly give up on loving him without making even a single move on him. Kosaki needed to do something that would even the playing field, if not put her ahead in this love race. If Chitoge herself could do it without qualms, then why couldn't she? Even the sickly Marika Tachibana made regular advances on him; albeit unsuccessful advances.

Maybe if she actively tried, then the brunette might end up turning the tables on the other girls. And of course, she wasn't stupid enough to pass off such a great opportunity. Nobody in her shoes would, not even the most incompetent of girls. What in the world was she thinking? It wasn't as if she was playing Risk with anyone. This wasn't the Sengoku era, and even if it was, she wasn't sure if she was playing as the charismatic Tokugawa Ieyasu, or the unspeakably loyal Mitsunari Ishida. Great, looks like those boring Japanese history classes have finally deemed pretty damn useful after all...

"Sure, I see no problem in that." Kosaki said, that loving smile of hers spread across her face as she quickly took the folded letter by its corners. Strangely, for a light piece of flattened processed wood, it felt like she was carrying a solid metal bar. It was likely the weight of her partly broken heart responding to the miniature parcel she had to simply hand over to her right; one whose hidden words etched inside were never meant for her to read or fawn over.

The slender brunette felt like she was on fire, as if the blood in her veins were rushing through her body like a flowing waterfall. An adrenaline rush, perhaps? She clearly wasn't in any danger. She wasn't dangling by a string that separated life and death. How could she possibly hold in such inconvenient feelings for a short period? Yes, human beings were created to endure even the most herculean of trials, but this…this was beginning to be too much for her to handle.

* * *

"Chitoge-chan." she called out to her blonde rival, patting the heiress' smooth shoulders with the polished tips of her fingers.

"Kosaki-chan..." Chitoge responded, her eyes fixated towards the folded letter sitting between the brunette's fingers.

"Ichijou-kun wanted me to pass this over to you, for some reason." Kosaki had the urge to frown after saying those words. Doing so wouldn't do anything to change the situation however, rather, it would only potentially give away her true feelings.  
"Is there something going on between the two of you?"

The blonde heiress' cheeks gradually flushed red like a steaming teapot served inside a Japanese sauna.  
"N-Nonsense!" she laughed nervously, her ribbon twitching back and forth like it was a part of her body.  
"He's probably asking me for some important pointers and stuff! You know h-how awesome I am when it comes to academics. Right?" The pair paused for a few moments, each waiting for the other to break the silence between them.

"Yeah, you really are a reliable person, Chitoge-chan." A cheesy smile suddenly formed on Kosaki's face after hearing the heiress' suspicious words. Yes, it was certainly the best answer for the brunette could respond with; she didn't want to arouse Chitoge's suspicions; if the latter even had any to begin with.

Chitoge gently took the letter from Kosaki's hands, a look of sheer anticipation on her face. She didn't want anybody to see what Raku wrote for her. With a glint of golden greed rushing through her veins, she quickly turned away from Kosaki and placed the mundane note against the surface of her desk.

* * *

The heiress' heart fluttered like the beat of Clyde Stubblefield's drums.  
 _What could be in here?_ Chitoge thought as she gazed upon the surface of the folded page. _Don't tell me...this could be some kind of confession?!_ Her eyes lit up as the unlikely possibility dashed through the reaches of her consciousness. Wasting no further time, she quickly unravelled the freshly torn piece of paper like a time bomb being diffused.

Written crudely on the neatly creased note were three simple words. Nope, it wasn't what you think it was. Despite the care written in those words, Chitoge's heart still sank a little

'Are you okay?'

A simple 'I love you' from the beansprout would have been more than enough to make her feel okay. But somehow she still felt happy about the note. Despite the fact that the contents of the letter were rather platonic instead of romantic and classy, as she had desired, Raku had torn off a chunk of his math notebook simply just to write to her; a chunk of paper far larger than was necessary for the short note. Slightly disheartened, yet flattered, a radiant smile formed on her pinkish lips as she began writing a reply.

'Kiss me, Idiot.'

Surprised at her courage to write such words, Chitoge wanted to laugh at herself for writing that. It was too stupid and futile. Yesterday's drama was more than enough for her to act on. But so was the unused space remaining on the paper...

"Kosaki-chan?" she called out, with the re-folded note clipped between her fingers.

"Yeah?" Kosaki replied, feeling slightly worried at Chitoge's jovial, light-hearted tone, as if she'd just read something special to her.

"Could you give this back to Raku? I think he has a good idea of how the formula works." the blonde heiress asked as she slipped the note over to the confused brunette's desk. _Formula?_ Kosaki's chocolate-brown eyes lit up as she heard that particular word coming straight out of Chitoge's mouth. _Ah, so it wasn't a love letter._ A nervous, somewhat crooked smirk formed on the surface of her lips. _Thank God..._

* * *

 ** _"I solemnly swear that I am up to no good." - J.K. Rowling_**

* * *

 _So, they're passing each other notes? How cute._ Marika Tachibana couldn't help but feel a glint of jealousy while observing the pair from afar, her dark orange eyes narrowing. _Too bad...poor old Kirisaki-san doesn't know the whole truth to the story._ The frail and slender lass grinned at the thought, savouring the feeling of knowing something others did not. She stealthily took her phone from her pocket, and quickly composed a short yet simple text message addressed to Chitoge herself.

 _ **'I know who Raku-sama likes. :3'**_

She slyly snickered as she softly pressed the send button.

* * *

 **Woah, hold up. Two chapters in, and I'm now having like 6 faves, 9 follows and a lot of positive feedback. I absolutely wanted to thank you guys for taking your time to read my story. I know I may seem really corny just by saying this, but you guys inspire me to improve my quality of writing, and thinking about it makes me smile every single day.**

 **Well, I do want to apologize for the slight delay in uploading the chapter. I have been brainstorming quite a lot recently on how to make my fic more interesting to read, so, this is probably the best I've got for now. (Forgive me if I've ticked you guys off with the last line. Cliffhangers are pretty much my thing.) And don't worry, Guest (Whoever you are, I love you.), I will most certainly continue making this fanfic, knowing that readers like you would like to know what would actually happen next.**

 **ChaosOmega8, Echopapa1 and Shiho M, thank you for letting me know about what you feel about each chapter. It makes me so happy knowing that you guys support me a lot, and I promise you that I won't let you guys down.**


	4. Chapter 4 - Dull Texts and Ripped Skirts

_**"Let no feeling of discouragement prey upon you, and in the end you are sure to succeed." - Abraham Lincoln**_

* * *

 **Chapter** **4**

The blond heiress felt her flip phone vibrate within the confines of her left pocket as the lesson progressively went on. Her vibrant blue eyes widened with delight and curiosity, knowing that someone would have the guts to go through the trouble of randomly sending her a text message during a busy time such as this. Or, it might be one of those flimsy spam messages she normally gets every single day. If that was the case, she would probably end up throwing the expensive thing off the window like a bouncy tennis ball.

But now isn't the time for senseless texting. Chitoge felt like she just hurled a pin-less hand grenade right at the heavily populated streets of Akihabara, knowing that she just sent the most idiotic and incredibly cheesiest reply ever written for anyone else in the history of the world. That statement might actually be a bit too far-fetched, but there could be some truth lingering into it. After all, who even tells someone to kiss them when the latter asks them about how they're feeling? What could be more ludicrous than that? Well, she could actually list up a lot of things and situations. But despite the vast number of zany things gradually popping out of the heiress' vast, immensely sentient mind, nothing could ever change how she feels about what she bravely and recklessly wrote.

 _ **Kiss me, Idiot.**_

Yeah, right. It's definitely something she would never say out loud without a few or more shots of stingy alcohol flowing within her system, and that's exactly one of the countless reasons why she doesn't go drinking and getting herself really wasted. It would only make her act stupid, talk stupid and feel stupid. And she has indeed done it before, _accidentally_ , that is. (Thanks to those infernal whisky bonbons.) But the very fact that she actually sent and wrote the reply whilst being sober actually frightens her. So much for blatantly lying to Kosaki about the true contents of the note being relevant to what the teacher's constantly yammering about.

She had the urge to rip the dreaded note into shreds with her bare hands out of sheer embarrassment, like how the enraged King Kong brutally tears open an F-45 jet plane with ease with his extremely buff and hairy arms. But as much as she really wanted to get her hands dirty, she couldn't.

No, she can't, and the worst part is that there's absolutely no turning back from this one, since she already asked someone to return it. The blonde heiress had no other choice but to see how Raku reacts and actually live with what he has to say in response. Strangely, a small part of her even wanted Kosaki to throw away the freshly teared piece of paper into the partly filled up trash bin at the side most corner of the classroom, or better yet, through the window so that nobody in her class could ever find it.

What in blazes is she even thinking about? Like there's any logical reason for the saintly brunette to do so. It's not like Kosaki had the guts to do such a heinous thing. Well, the act of tearing up a single piece of notebook isn't what you can dub as so, but the thought of blatantly destroying a parcel meant to pass on to another person without the approval of the sender kinda fits the description mildly. Only Marika Tachibana can do the deed without any qualms, since that overly attached chick is probably the goddess of mischief in disguise, or possibly the devil himself.

Putting everything including her widely colorful thoughts aside, Chitoge reluctantly drew out her phone from her pockets and stealthily flipped it open beneath her desk like she was hiding something that's not meant being seen by public eyes. Well, if you would have the liberty to analyze that situation logically, her phone might be abruptly confiscated in plain sight, so the heiress' slight pulses of paranoia are completely reasonable.

As expected, there are 2 new messages popping out of her inbox. Obviously, the first text was one of those worthless promotional spam mail she regularly, painstakingly deletes, coming from an obscure monthly magazine subscription promo. Just by looking at how the annoying and unnecessary advertisement goes actually makes her feel tired.

The second text message is what made the heiress' eyes flutter like delicate butterfly wings. No, not because the contents of the brief message were too blurry to even read through (Well, to take note, her eyes have yet to scan over them.), but because it came from the most unlikely person.

 _Marika?_

Chitoge's stellar blue eyes widened with surprise. Normally, it isn't really a significant thing. It definitely isn't something that could make your eyes flicker out of disbelief, as if she'd just seen a shiny legendary Pokémon with her own two eyes out of a million tries. But still...since when was the last time she actually received a text message directly from the Overly Attached Girlfriend? About a month ago, perhaps? She couldn't accurately pinpoint the date like how a professional sniper locates its target, since the blonde lass isn't too good with remembering minor details and events that happen too fast.

She couldn't really picture out what Marika herself has to say to her. Well, one thing's for sure. Either it might be incredibly important,insanely eccentric, or possibly a bland mixture of both, the beansprout would always, no matter what kind of topic they're tackling on, be involved. After all, it's like she practically worships the dense idiot to no end, despite the latter indirectly rejecting her rather "over-the-top" advances every time she publicly flirts with him. Seriously, it's like Raku purposely made her chug down a highly concentrated love potion to make her fall for him extremely hard, to the point that it emotionally hurts the pale ginger-haired girl as much as her frail and sickly body does.

As soon as she opened the message with a single click of a button, Chitoge's volatile heart quickly sank as the heiress read the brief contents of the mail. No, it wasn't like how the Titanic vanished into the rusty, barnacle-ridden, corpse-filled wreckage it is today, but it felt more like the still beating vital organ was bathing bare naked on a tub filled with dry ice on a cold winter's night without the heater on. Both similes cut both ways, with one figurative speech being sharper and nastier than the other.

 ** _I know who Raku-sama likes. :3_**

Well, it's not like it's the end of the world, or _her_ world, that is, just because her reflective eyes had the misfortune to gaze upon the ginger-haired lass' extremely heart-wrenching message without taking a deep breath and thinking about it thoroughly. Honestly, even though a lot of possibilities to the meaning of this brief and hopefully cryptic text are likely lingering and littering about within the miniature hinges of the very words that compose it, Chitoge just wanted to scram out of the fully occupied room and cry her eyes out, like a scene coming straight out of a tragic Korean melodrama.

Well, unlike everyone else around her, Chitoge didn't have the luxury of time to water up her eyes like how gardeners casually sprinkle up their plants. At least that's what she often tells herself despite failing to do so at certain moments of her life where crying seemed like it was the only option. Plus, she needed to know if Marika was just pulling her leg as she often does, or if the sickly ginger's actually telling her the the grim and painful truth about everything, and crying like a hungry child wouldn't help her even for one tiny bit.

The blonde heiress needed to compose something in response to Marika's fatal jab through her chest, and she needed to do it as fast as she possibly can without getting noticed by anybody. As long as her fingers are intact and ready, with the phone sitting on top of her palms, she can pull off such a stealthy feat without even the slightest difficulty. And besides, sickly young lass probably doesn't have any clue about her forged relationship with the dense idiot.

Despite being the one who actually crafted the message from scratch with a couple of taps, Chitoge could feel the overloaded dose of sarcasm heavily surging from the brief composition of words just by reading it. Who could even blame her? Sarcasm is her specialty. Or to put it more accurately...

Sarcasm _is_ her.

* * *

Unexpectedly, Marika felt her phone swiftly vibrate like a buzzer being slammed upon during the middle of a quiz bee. And she was too busy taking down important notes too...Well, the ginger-haired lass was actually doing a rough, highly detailed sketch of Raku from behind, and she actually enjoys every single moment of it, judging by that love-struck look on her deeply flustered face. _Oh my, Kirisaki-san. You even replied while I was busy admiring the incomparable beauty and perfection of Raku-sama. Could it wait until the end of class?_ the frail lass thought to herself as she promptly dropped her mechanical pencil onto the surface of her desk, with the lead breaking off upon impact.

She impatiently sighed as she hesitantly reached for her phone, with her face displaying a slight mixture of annoyance and boredom. Sure, the ginger-haired lass wanted to know how Chitoge would react, but the pure satisfaction just isn't there at that time. She cannot properly enjoy two things that are happening all at once, and everybody knows that, especially her dad.

With the single slide of her soft, polished fingers, the phone instantaneously opened. Aside from the various Candy Crush notifications she often receives, there lies Chitoge's disappointingly brief text message. She wanted to laugh at how reading it alone makes the veins on her head contract and bulge out like it had trained itself for over 10 years, or how it causes the blood flowing around her circulatory system to go extremely bonkers like a rampaging waterfall, but she couldn't.

 ** _Really? Aren't I his girlfriend or something? Nope? Yeah, that probably sums it up. Have some common sense before telling me some nonsense._**

It's too sassy and overwhelmingly sarcastic to even pass up, and it feels like the heiress isn't taking her words rather seriously. This clearly pisses her off at a whole new level, to the point that she would be capable of obliterating an entire legion of trained soldiers with the rapid thrust of her pale, bony fists. Plus, never before has the red-headed lass ever felt so downgraded and humiliated over a single line of text. At that very moment, Marika decided to keep herself calm and composed, and quickly cook herself a effective counterattack.

 ** _Guess who it is, Kirisaki-san. I dare you._**

Was that what one would call a counterattack? More like a way of provoking the enemy troops into unintentionally revealing the nature of their overall strategy. If Chitoge would just continue advancing into her position, there might be a slim chance for the latter to take the upper hand during the siege, with the risk of Marika's troops getting entirely wiped out. Wait, what the hell? They're just texting for crying out loud, not reenacting a battle scene from Luo Guanzhong's Romance of the Three Kingdoms. And the fact that the ginger-haired lass finished reading all volumes of the book series actually makes her feel like a big fat history nerd, and for a girl of her stature, it feels really, really awful.

Well, those mildly provocative words were probably the best she could make up, for now. Besides, it's not like the hot headed heiress had the essence of time to literally punch her in the face with the use of electronically transmitted pixels of text, and the formal lass knows she herself doesn't. They're obviously inside a Japanese classroom, and squaring it all off inside one could result into dire consequences.

As soon as she began slipping the phone back into the pocket from whence it came, it abruptly vibrated for the second time. And this time, Marika didn't want to know what Chitoge has in store for her. But the pale lass just couldn't resist the urge of ceaseless battle, in spite of her peaceful and calm demeanor. She actually felt her dark orange hair rise up out of sheer anticipation as the latter began unlocking the phone's screen once again.

 ** _Not you? :(_**

The text above packs more than a single punch. It's like she got stabbed right in the gut, or shot through the head, to say the least. Something hiding within those words didn't just hit her, it technically went right through her like how a hot knife easily goes through butter. And what was that, you may ask? Well, it's probably the sudden realization that Raku never reciprocated her romantic feelings in the first place, a fact she knew all along but refused to accept.

Marika's fragile heart began to contract like twisted ropes the moment her widened gaze tethered itself into the broad, radiating screen. As much as she hated to admit it, those two simple words were actually stating nothing but the undeniable truth. Her hands were lightly trembling as she felt her dark-orange eyes well up thin streams of minuscule tears.

She didn't have the intent to cry. That was in fact the last thing she wanted to do, in public, that is. After all, crying is a huge sign of one's weakness: nothing but a miniature white flag that seemed to be partly raised towards her competitors to infer the act of total surrender. But this time, the flawed human being locked inside of her wanted to take over and do the rest.

The ginger-haired lass quickly rubbed the steadily flowing streams off her eyes just before anyone would think to notice. It would be downright embarrassing if anyone would find out about her sudden emotional discharge. Great, now her freshly washed sleeves are now ridden with salty tears. What gives?

 _ **Let's talk to each other after class.**_ Marika calmly typed with her head held high, as her elegant thumbs lightly rested on top of the virtual keypad. _**I'll tell you everything from A to Z.**_

* * *

 _ **"How embarrassing it is to be human." - Kurt Vonnegut**_

* * *

Shortly after taking the fragile parcel from Chitoge grasp, Kosaki couldn't bring herself to pass the folded note back to its rightful owner. _I can't._ she told herself subconsciously as her captivating chocolate-brown eyes abruptly closed shut with her head slightly shaking. _I just can't. Even though Chitoge-chan implied that it doesn't contain something romantic...doesn't mean that it actually doesn't!_ the brunette continued, with the note still resting on top of her currently sweaty palms, with the paper gradually absorbing the fluid.

 _Oh, no!_ _This can't be happening! This can't!_ she mentally exclaimed as soon as she quickly noticed the miniature puddles of sweat clinging unto the note's delicate surface. "Me and my nervous fits..." the brunette muttered under her breath with her head slightly lowered in a submissive manner. "What's wrong, Onodera?" a familiar voice called out to her, which instantaneously caught her undivided attention.

With her neck swiftly turning to her left, Kosaki immediately knew who the voice belonged to. It was none other than a concerned Raku facing towards her, with his eyes clearly showing a great sense of worry. "Ichijou-kun!" she unnecessarily exclaimed as she quickly tucked and drilled the moistened paper into the depths of her left pocket like how a druggie unsuccessfully hides a bag of weed in front of a patrolling police officer. "Uh, did you just punched something really hard inside your pocket? I could've sworn I've heard a ripping sound." the beansprout pointed out after seeing the suspicious act first hand.

"What are you talking about, silly?" Kosaki nervously laughed and coughed, with her face slowly flushing dark red just by the sight of him. _D-Did she just call me "silly"?_ Raku thought to himself as he subconsciously darted her a weird, perplexed look, which made the nervous brunette really uncomfortable.

 _Oh my God...Oh my God! He probably thinks I'm weird and creepy! If only I would just give the letter back sooner, none of this would've happened in the first place! Now that it's too late, what should I do? Should I just give it back to him? No! Ichijou-kun might think I'm gross if he touches my sweat on the paper! Touches my sweat..._

 _Touches..._ The moment she thought of the interactive verb, that was when her subconsciously stored up sexual fantasies ran wild. _What am I saying!? Why am I even thinking such naughty thoughts at a time like this!?_ the brunette wanted to slap herself in the face for being incredibly out of context. Well, some teenage girls have a bunch of lewd thoughts running across their heads, but it still hurts to even visualize it.

 _Onodera's acting really strange today. But she wasn't acting up like this a few moments back... some personal problems, perhaps? Better not ask her such questions._ Raku thought to himself as he managed to catch a glimpse of Chitoge secretly fiddling with her phone, with her face looking really occupied. _Ah, so that's what's taking her so long to reply... I hope she isn't texting another guy. That would suck._ the beansprout thought as he felt a glint of green envy lingering inside of him. _But why do I have the sudden urge to look at her inbox?_

Kosaki felt like her left thigh was fully exposed. Well, that would seem like a random thought made all for the dull purpose to block out all the previous scenarios rushing around her head, but it literally felt like it. Yes, her skirt is rather short. Shorter than most school uniforms in the city, but never has she felt so airy from down below whilst sitting down. It's like her skirt got ripped off on one side, which sounds completely irrational and stupid for one to think, and all the boys around her area would probably notice it by now if that would've happened.

Wait. Didn't Raku mention something about the slender brunette punching her pockets?

Looking down was probably one of the biggest mistakes she had ever made in her entire life. Her beating heart rapidly resonated with the fast flowing movement of her pulse rushing through her veins, as if she had just ran a grand marathon against Usain Bolt and Justin Gatlin. To her absolute horror, the brunette's skirt literally got ripped off from the right side, with the rims deeply torn and the zipper broken and separated, with the light blue strings that was once part of the fabric resting against her bare skin. And to make matters worse, part of her white bear-printed panties are accidentally up for display. The force of how she forcibly tucked the note in was absolutely bonkers. It's like she temporarily and inconveniently borrowed Saitama's powers from One Punch Man.

"Shit!" she cussed, for what sounds like for the first time, out loud. And it sounded like she was taking a quick sneeze to boot. Raku's ears quickly picked up one of the most used words in his household coming from the most purest person he knows. "O-Onodera?" he quickly turned towards the trembling, nervous lass with one eye twitching out of sheer disbelief. Plus, he looked really weird by doing so. "Yes!" Kosaki squeaked, with her shaky voice being loud enough for everyone else in the class to hear. It was like she completely lost track of how low should her voice go at certain situations.

"Woah, Onodera! You don't have to shriek that loud in front of me. I can hear you!" the beansprout exclaimed as he rapidly waved both of his hands. _Now he thinks I'm deaf..._ she gloomily thought as she quickly tore a piece of her notebook to cover up the severely ruptured side of the brunette's broken skirt. "Yeah, how silly of me! Could you do me a favor and look the other way, Ichijou-kun?" Kosaki could've sworn the sweat leaking around her body had gone cold and ticklish. "Why? It's not like you're naked or anything. Well, that would be a shocker if that's true." he jokingly replied. _Naked?_ Partially, that is.

"Why do you always have to look at my side anyways?" she protested, with her hands pressing against the torn up page, slightly crumpling it. "I'm probably used to doing that by now. Could you please tell me what's going on, Onodera? It's like you wanted to go to the toilet or something." Yeah, no shit, Sherlock. "What do you mean by being used to look at my way?" she absentmindedly asked, which caused the beansprout to flinch like a rock.

 _Crap, is she suspecting me for constantly checking out on Chitoge for the past few hours?_ that line of thought recklessly trekked through his shallow brain like a wandering hiker. _Don't tell me...was he checking me out all this time?_ a flustered, crooked smile suddenly formed on the moist surface of Kosaki's mouth as she mindlessly thought of the highly improbable possibility. "D-Does it mean anything important?" Raku replied, with his cheeks slightly reddening. "Yes! I wanted to know why!" the nervous brunette desperately exclaimed.

"Onodera and Ichijou. May I see the two of you arguing "love birds" after class?" the teacher called out as he quickly adjusted his glasses.

* * *

"Why didn't you tell me sooner?" Raku inquired as he immediately began mending the ruptured piece of fabric with a set of sewing equipment he managed to borrow from the sewing club. (Which he had to fill in some paper work for membership, of course.)

Kosaki didn't know exactly what to say to him. It's like she's on the middle of playing a dating sim where the trio of choices given to her are all confusing and seemingly misleading, to the point that she needed to desperately surf the net to find the right answer. But unfortunately, this is real life, and the man she's currently on a "date" with is a real person. Her heart began to pound loudly as she slowly leaned against the concrete walls behind her, grabbing the jogging pants she reluctantly borrowed from Raku tightly to ease the unnatural feeling.

"Ichijou-kun..." she managed to muster the courage to call out to him, and it sounded like she's choking on own her words and is about to cry because of it. "I'm sorry for all the trouble I've put you through today." her dark brown hair felt like they were slowly standing up like a scared cat's as she hesitantly continued her unfinished sentence. "Don't sweat it, Onodera. It's not entirely your fault." "Yes, it is." she protested instantaneously in a rather shaky tone. "No, it isn't. You were really nervous, and I couldn't blame you for it. If my zipper breaks in the middle of class, I would probably react the same way."

He's indeed too kind to stay mad at her. Heck, the dense protagonist isn't even harboring such negative feelings towards her altogether. And honestly, the pale brunette feels a reasonably huge amount of guilt because of it. "You didn't have to let me borrow your jogging pants, or sign up for the sewing club just to fix up my skirt for me."

"Yeah, you're right. I didn't have to, yet I chose to do those things. Whether you like it or not, that's how I roll, Onodera." Raku replied as he began biting some of the excess string with his teeth. "It would really worry me if you're all stuck-up and guilty all the time. You should take a quick look back at it and share a good laugh with me." he continued, with a wide, hearty grin forming around his face. It looked perfect.

"I guess you're right. But I'm not in the proper mood for laughing right now. It's not like I would force myself to laugh at things that I don't find pretty funny." Kosaki earnestly explained as her eyes gracefully fluttered with her doll-like lashes. "Do you want to hear a joke?" the beansprout kindly offered. "No! You don't have to force yourself to entertain me...I might hurt you if I wouldn't laugh at them..." she politely declined, with her face buried deep against her knees.

"Well, they couldn't be that bad. But if you say so, I wouldn't make a fool of myself for doing so." the beansprout shrugged as he continued to casually fix the skirt like how an old woman seamlessly knits a sweater. He's probably gotten pretty used to sewing by now, much to his dismay. _What did I just say?_ the brunette's eyes widened with worry. _What should I do? I've probably offended him by saying those things! Maybe I should say something that would encourage him? Yeah, that's probably it!_

Encouragement, huh? Does she really want to say such platonic things? After what she had seen that afternoon...after what Chitoge bravely said? The nervous lass isn't going anywhere with her constant shyness, in contrast with the blonde heiress' inextinguishable aggression. Judging by the homey atmosphere around them, ridden with all the perfect conditions, wouldn't it be the right time to lay it right in front of him? You know...to confess?

Filled with the sudden urge to do the impossible, she could literally hear Shia LaBeouf obnoxiously screaming the words "Just do it!" whilst posing peculiarly weird gestures in front of a broad green screen. Looks like she doesn't have much of a choice, doesn't she? If she would have the chance to cease everything she ever wanted for one moment, would she catch it? Or just let it slip? Wow, who would ever thought that the first few lines of an Eminem song accurately reflects her swelling emotions.

"Ichijou-kun, could you please take a quick break on sewing my skirt for a bit? I want you to hear everything I'm about to say to you. Could you please listen?" the brunette politely requested, with her cheeks glowing in a shade of light red. "Sure, Onodera. Go ahead, I'm all ears." Raku eagerly nodded as he immediately placed the mended fabric on the floor beneath him, with the expression on his face screaming the word anticipation. _I wonder what she has to say to me..._

"No matter how strange it may sound, I don't want you to feel creeped out if I say this, nor do I want you to avoid me or treat me indifferently from everybody else. So please...accept everything I'm about to tell you, every single bit of it!"

Kosaki sounded incredibly desperate and serious, as if the fate of the entire world depended on the outcome this very moment, and Raku subtly felt it, scratch that, he could practically see it in her glistening watery eyes. And strangely, he didn't like where this is going. "Onodera..."

"I don't really know how to properly put this, but..." After pausing and fidgeting for a few seconds, Kosaki took a few sips of air before finally gaining the strength to carry on.

"I...I really like you, Ichijou-kun."

 _Wait... I didn't hear anything wrong from her...didn't I?_

* * *

 _ **Well, it has been nearly a week since I've uploaded the last chapter, and to be honest, I'm not really confident with how it turned out. But anyways, I would love to thank you all for the 11 faves and 15 follows! Holy crap, I wasn't expecting such positive feedback from all of you, and it makes me smile just to see how each and every one of you have been enjoying everything I've written so far. I sincerely hope this insanely long chapter wouldn't bore you to death or anything, that's not even in my bucket list.**_

 _ **It kinda took me a while to plan everything out, and I guess it ended up with Onodera and Marika being the key characters in this chapter to bring out a double cliffhanger. Hope this was worth the long wait. But I honestly believe that you all deserve better, and I'll try my best to make the next chapter more interesting than the last.**_


	5. Chapter 5 - Confrontation

_**"A man sees in the world what he carries in his heart." - Johann Wolfgang von Goethe,** Faust_

* * *

 **Chapter 5**

"So, you actually came." Marika called out to the heiress as she lazily sat on her desk, with her slender legs lying on top on its broad, empty surface like a teenage rebel; pale fingers gently patting the surface of her lips. "And the funny thing is, I actually thought you're going to ditch me and remain silent. But I'll have do you a huge favor to remind you that what you're doing isn't a smart move, Kirisaki-san." a sardonic grin peeled back against her teeth, with her dark-orange eyes staring back at her like how the setting sun sinks itself into the foggy afternoon clouds. "Do you seriously think I would be able to keep myself calm, knowing that my darling has feelings for someone else other than me?" Chitoge asked.

"Give it a break, Kirisaki-san. For your information, I know all about your fake relationship with my fiancé. So please, take a seat." the mischievous ginger replied, with her fingers now twiddling between the strands of one of her tied up twin tails just hanging above her left shoulder. And as for Chitoge herself, the gesture looked really annoying, to the point that she would be more than willing enough to run her delicate hand across this cheeky bastard's face. "H-How did you-" "Find out?" Marika interrupted as she began licking her lips in excitement. "I could read people's faces. It may sound pretty simple to do, but most people couldn't pull it off properly." she explained. "Pretty ironic, isn't it? For a girl who never goes outside..."

"You're too wordy, Marika." the blonde heiress stated as the elongated crimson ribbon tied to her head twitched and bobbed like anxious rabbit ears. "I came here in this empty classroom to hear what you know, not to join you in idle chit-chat." she continued with her armed crossed, with her breasts protruding from the gaps. The prim and proper young lady couldn't help but giggle at the half-american's sentences. "Aren't those two things pretty similar? You are still talking to me after all. Wouldn't it be odd if you would just stand there, looking all high and mighty without the slight interest of sharing words with me? If so, then why would you go all the way here, while everyone else is going home?"

 _She's got a huge point there._ "Well, I guess I couldn't resist the urge to know about what you're hiding from us." the heiress scratched the surface of her pale white cheeks. "Precisely." a large smile instantaneously formed on Marika's face, to compliment the movement of her snapping fingers. "Told you I could read people like books." she slyly winked. "H-Hey, don't get too cocky over your luck." Chitoge protested as she shifted her stellar blue gaze away from her unexpected companion. "Unfortunately for you, I no longer believe in such things." the prim ginger teasingly replied.

"So...when do we get to part 'A'?" the captivating blonde inquired as she stubbornly refuses to take a seat on any of the vacant desks surrounding her. "In a moment. But I don't like the idea of me reciting the English alphabet, with each letter containing assorted drabbles of information in them. It's just too tedious." Marika calmly stated with one arm raised to indicate delay. "Enough with the small talk, Marika. I think you're actually hesitating to say them." Chitoge pointed out, as her rear slowly found itself resting on top of Raku's unoccupied desk.

"As you wish. But you need to be emotionally ready for this. Even I couldn't handle it after finding out the truth until this day." she warned, with a look of concern seeping out of her dark-orange eyes. "Is it bad?" the perplexed heiress inquired with her eyes widening as if she just saw a huge cockroach passing through her thighs. "Depending on how you'll initially receive them. But you're obviously in love with him, am I right?" the prim lass tethered her gaze towards her companion's eyes, as if she's trying to let the latter spit out the hidden truth.

"Of course... why do I even call him 'darling' anyways?" Chitoge muttered nervously. "I mean, _really_ in love with him. Come on, Kirisaki-san. Didn't I told you to give yourself a break? It's not like one of your bodyguards are with you today. And Tsugumi-san is on the middle of an important mission, am I correct?" Marika pointed out. "Y-Yes..." the half-american reluctantly replied. "And what does that absurdly brief answer coming from an extravagantly loud and confident person such as yourself lead to?" the ginger extended.

"I-I love him, Marika. As in...f-for real." the heiress bravely declared. "Oh~? That was unexpectedly easy for you to spit out of your trap. I was expecting you to struggle for a bit before telling my your obvious answer. That's not you." the pleased young lady reacted, as she began crossing her legs to set the mood. "Don't act like you know everything about me." Chitoge bluntly barked. "It's making me sick." she continued.

"Relax, princess. You sound like an overly used Facebook post. I absolutely hate those kinds of things."

"Just get straight to the point!" the heiress exclaimed, with her fists tightly clenched. She probably couldn't afford to handle her idle bullshit any longer, and it's heating her up like a microwave.

"My, my... you're way too impatient as always. I guess I'll have no other choice but to tell it to you directly." Marika quietly sighed, as she firmly adjusted that trademark flower of hers sticking out at the right side of her head.

"Wait!" the blonde heiress' heart abruptly jumped as she unexpectedly broke the tension building up between them. "Before...telling me who he really likes...I just wanted to know...why are you sharing this to me, of all people...?"

The ginger haired lass elegantly smiled in reaction to the heiress' words as she gently stared into the latter's slightly pleading eyes. "I'm doing this for my own personal interest. It's not like I wanted to hurt you or anything, it's just that you kinda remind me of...myself."

"Huh? Am I actually hearing this?" Chitoge hesitantly asked.

"You're clearly not deaf, Kirisaki-san. Well, it definitely sounds really crazy coming from someone like me...But let's just face it, we're polar opposites of each other, and the biggest gap between the two of us is that you're capable of doing a lot of things I can't. You can engage in physical activities while I can't. You're far more healthier than me, like everybody else...and most of all...I believe you can make Raku-sama fall in love with you." Marika sounded like she wanted to punch herself in the face for saying that.

"Marika..." That innocent, childlike look on Chitoge's face when she uttered out her name looked rather sympathetic than flattered, and the ginger-haired lass could see right through it like clear glass. "Don't you dare act chummy towards me, just because I felt like speaking my mind, Kirisaki-san. Plus, I do not have the intention to give up on Raku-sama so easily." the refined lass looked vexed as she strongly refused to succumb into the heiress' verbal embrace.

"I know that...it's just that it seems extremely weird for someone as prideful and persistent as you to admire your rival all of the sudden." Chitoge calmly explained as she ran her seemingly flawless hand through her long, flourishing locks. "The prideful only admire the prideful, I guess. A fair exchange of ocular verbs, and the repetition of the word "prideful" sounds totally ridiculous." Marika snorted. "And you know what's more ridiculous than that?" she paused for a moment, with her sunset orange eyes gleaming directly at the azure window's of the heiress' soul. "The fact that you would be willing to ask the unnecessary stuff right before I tell you the truth behind everything."

"I guess I'm the one whose the hypocrite here." Chitoge lonesomely stated, with her head slightly tilted sideways to show her mood. "Go ahead, Marika. I'm not stopping you this time." she continued with an incredibly out-of-place smile forming on her light pink lips. "And I'll try my best...not to cry."

Noticing those crystal clear droplets of salty tears bulging at the corners of her eyes, Marika felt like she was the worst person to ever walk the earth, knowing that she would soon spit out the very sentence that could potentially destroy the blonde lass emotionally. But she didn't really care about what would most likely happen in the next few seconds. After all, with Chitoge out of the picture, all she has to do is to go on an all out brawl against Kosaki Onodera herself, and she isn't taking any risks. But if in case that situation really happens, would it be what she really wanted after all this time?

Probably not.

Surprisingly, a significantly small part of her wanted to save the heiress from a greater suffering. Besides, if Chitoge continues to mindlessly trek through her seemingly futile love life without a care in the world, she would eventually get herself hurt by unraveling things up for herself. In Marika's perspective, making her trip on a rough wooden log would be far more preferable than being accidentally lunged into a bottomless ditch without the hope of escaping.

"The person who Raku-sama fancies is none other than..."

* * *

He froze. His eyes widened to compliment his now flinching body,he practically looked like a pickled gargoyle. (No shit. Just look at him! The beansprout looked like he could no longer move a single nerve in his body.) No, he definitely wasn't amazed, happy nor delighted. Don't get me wrong here, of course he get's extremely nervous and flattered when a girl goes up to him and tells him her feelings. In fact, he didn't even know how to properly respond to the brunette's sudden out-of-the-blue confession in the first place. And judging by that immensely flushed look on her face, it seemed that she wanted to know his answer immediately before the latter literally hides herself out of sheer anticipation and fear.

Well, Raku had been waiting for this very moment years before and a few months after he met Chitoge. Yes, he had an embarrassingly huge crush on the brunette, and it actually goes way back from middle school...elementary, perhaps? That couldn't be possible. But still...why doesn't he feel unusually jumpy? Or better yet, giddy and overly excited? Wouldn't it be normal for one to feel that way?

He probably doesn't work that way anymore. Sure, If his former self from a few months back were to hear Kosaki's powerful words, the beansprout would immediately accept her like he was desperately grabbing free candy being thrown for the party guests' leisure at some unfortunate kid's birthday party. For some peculiar reason, it feels like somebody shamelessly pressed the reset button on the back of his head like an overused Tamagotchi past its prime.

Maybe it's because she's _not_ Chitoge.

That's specifically it, and Raku knew that. He knew all along what he was going to say, but the beansprout didn't know how to make it sound so suitable for the lass to...well, accept. Plus, Kosaki looked like she was on the verge of exploding into nothingness, as if saying those discomposing words were like the verbal equivalent of carelessly dipping an elongated pack of mentos into a sizzling bottle of oxidized coke.

"Onodera." he deliberately called out to her with his eyes blinking profusely. "Yes?" she reluctantly responded, with her tone dipped with confusion and uncertainty. Frankly, the brunette didn't like to hear both the beginning and the end of what he's about to spit out with the tip of his tongue. Rejection was a huge possibility for her, and she could see it in him. _If I'll have to put her down...I'll have to put her down gently._ the beansprout thought to himself as his face quickly shifted from flinched to intense within a matter of seconds. It's like he's about to defuse a nuclear weapon or something at a larger scale. _Like a man!_

"I'm really sorry." he speedily muttered, as if he didn't want to immediately blast it in front of her face. "I can't go-" "You don't have to say anything else, Ichijou-kun." Kosaki abruptly interrupted, possibly out of sheer impulse. "What?" he blankly blinked, clearly confused by her sudden reply. "I think I have a good idea of how you really feel about me." she stated as she began tearing up with an oddly out-of-place smile etched on her lips. _What am I doing?_ the brunette thought to herself as she slowly backed away from him.

"Onodera..." Raku called out once again, with his hand extended towards her, as if he didn't want her to digest that feeling of rupturing hurt within her as she runs away from him. "It's okay...I understand everything now." she calmly stated as the salty tears in her watery eyes started trailing down the pale surface of her cheeks. "Do you love her more than me?" she asked, looking quite depressed with that cold melancholic voice of hers. The brunette felt like she just unhesitatingly set off an irreversible death wish on herself. _Who does she mean?_ the dense beansprout's eyes widened. _Don't tell me...she already knows who I like? Since when?!_

"I do." he nodded absentmindedly, with the heiress' smiling face flashing through his mind. "!" she staggered aback with her chocolate-brown eyes darkening, as the latter felt like her bones wiggle like jelly as they moved and paused at an orderly fashion. "I'm sorry..." the brunette muttered under her breath as her fingers gently touched her quivering lips. "Wait!" the beansprout swiftly grabbed her arm without hesitation, with his eyes deeply focused towards hers. "Don't let this friendship end, Onodera." he shook his head to signify his utter denial. "Not like this."

"It never ends, Ichijou-kun. Even after all of this...it won't. But please...just for a moment..." She quickly pulled her arm away in a slightly aggressive manner, slipping away from his grasp. It hurts to do it, but still...why did she have to let it end this way? No, it all depends on his answer. Well, a minuscule part of her suspected it to conclude in a scale similar to how Glaucus rejected Circe in the ancient Greek tale of Glaucus and Scylla as told by Ovid; Or more accurately, by her English Teacher, Yui Kanakura, a few weeks ago during class.

Kosaki swiftly got to her feet as if she was being chased by something foul and hard to look at and ran without thinking twice. "Onodera!" Raku frantically raised his voice as he instantaneously stood up with the heat of empathetic guilt running and jutting through him. "Don't talk to me! Please leave me alone!" she painfully screamed as the crisp wind mildly brushed through her face.

 _Onodera... I've hurt her. I can't believe that I actually rippled our friendship in one go..._

Raku stared at that partly sewn skirt of hers lying flat on the concrete floor beneath them like a blanket, with the thin light blue strings attached to the matted bundle of fabric all tangled up and cut. _Even though I like Chitoge now, why do I feel like I've just killed someone?_ He picked it up, pulling one side as if he was actually handling The Shroud of Turin. _I need to make her understand._ That tidbit of thought crossed through his head as the beansprout dutifully began running after her. _I really need to settle things between us as soon as possible before she does something really stupid!_

* * *

 _ **"The mind is its own place, and in itself can make a heaven of hell, a hell of heaven." - John Milton,** Paradise Lost_

* * *

She sat there, leaning against the outer walls of the empty classroom, all limp and broken like a fragile porcelain doll. Oddly enough, the heiress didn't feel like dying or had the malicious intention to erase herself. To put it more accurately, it felt like she doesn't exist in the first place all together.

Chitoge couldn't stop crying. No, her tears didn't jut out of her azure blue eyes like that of spilled maple syrup, but more like thin steady streams of salted water. _Raku...you stupid halfwit._ she mentally barked as she blankly stared at the darkening window above her. _Ah, whatever. Go date Kosaki-chan for all I care. It's your stupid feelings anyway, it's not like I have a freaking chance with you to begin with._

The heiress paused for a moment as she quickly took the liberty of time to deeply reminisce what she remembers on that sweet Sunday afternoon. His tight embrace, her palpitating chest touching his, the warmness she felt as the beansprout boldly held her against him as if time stood still...her heart beats loudly just by the very thought of that blissful importance. _B-But...you don't have to hug me like that...if you don't actually love me, idiot!_

As the early evening approaches, the empty hallways of Bonyari High looked exceptionally desolate and barren. The elongated fluorescent lights just a few meters above her were actually still on, yes, but that doesn't make it less lonelier. The heiress' legs felt like they weren't even there. Prolonged numbness, perhaps? Either that, or she's actually turning into a ghost. Yeah, like that's even possible. Ghosts aren't real. At least that's what she wanted to think after watching a mother load of horror movies by herself.

She didn't want to return to her grandiose home with that truthful and somewhat parasitic statement still fresh in her mind. _"The person who Raku-sama fancies is none other than Kosaki Onodera-san."_ Marika felt subtly empty as those flexible words escaped her mouth several minutes ago, and Chitoge could've swore her ears ringed vibrantly as they've instantaneously reached her.

What differences would it make, if she would just let him go? A lot. And such unfavorable differences would only make a lot of things more complicated for everybody else aside from herself. The gang wars between the Shuei Group and the Beehive gang might ensue. Claude and Tsugumi might recklessly hunt down Raku and Kosaki, if ever the duo of assassins would find out about the cause of her undeniable grief. The heiress wouldn't be able to see the beansprout anymore, and she wouldn't be able to live with herself if that ever happens.

 _Might._

 _Tap.._

 _Tap..._

Chitoge could hear the faint and rapid tapping of footsteps as the fast-moving noise echoed through the halls. The heiress' eyes widened as soon as she realized something on the tip of her train of thought: That whoever or whatever has made that noise is coming towards her direction. She felt slightly frightened, despite the emotion being deeply eclipsed by her overwhelming bitterness.

Monster, ghost or whatnot, she secretly wished it was him, running around like the dense dimwit he is with his hands filled with overloaded clumps of red roses addressed only to her. Yeah, as if. If he were to pass by with a bunch of crimson flora in his grasp, it would be for none other than Kosaki. But a single question popped through her head as the pitter patter of rapidly advancing feet gradually grew louder.

 _What if he changes his mind?_

Her heart raced at the possibility. Is this even a possibility in the first place? Of course it is. After all, the world doesn't go on full repeat. Systems may and will change, and so do people. The blonde heiress wanted to laugh at herself for being so mentally desperate, looking for unnecessary information on life and overly thinking about it as if it could be applicable to her own personal woes. Who could even blame her for thinking that way? That's what makes her distinctly human.

By the corner of her eye, a frantically running figure approaches.

* * *

The taps of his shoes sounded like mini fire crackers. Nope, not the whistling rockets nor the searing Roman Candle, but the folded triangles that are lethal enough to blow off your fingers in a split second. He had been running around the school for over 15 minutes, all sweaty and worried. The look on the beansprout's face looked extremely vexed and tired rather than focused. He couldn't find Kosaki anywhere.

Not in the rooftop. Not in the hallways, the nurse's room nor the girl's comfort room. (Yes, he _had_ to go there, just to be sure.)

If she isn't hiding in those parts of the building where she normally frequents, there is only one place left for her to inevitably go to: Class 1-C, aka, his classroom. Her bag must be in there, so the chances of her retreating into it aren't nil. Well, the brunette may have gotten there first and swiftly went home, but he had to take that small chance, whatever it takes.

As he ran through the hallways leading to the classroom like an unruly delinquent, he could slightly see a slender figure leaning against the walls outside of it, all limp and nearly motionless. His dark indigo eyes lit up as he rapidly moved towards it, forgetting the impulse to stop at the focal point. _Looks like my speculation was spot-on! Now I'll have to make her understand my feelings before-_

 _Grab._

Something really strong grabbed his leg tightly, forcing him to abruptly stop. "Eh?" he blurted out as he looked down to where is left leg was at. Turns out it was Chitoge all along, and she looked rather gloomy, with her darkened eyes blankly staring at the walls in front of her as if she was actually reading something scribbled on it. His heart suddenly fluttered as he felt the heiress' polished nails bluntly piercing his skin like a cat's paw.

"Didn't they tell you to stop running in the halls?" she muttered as the blonde tightened her grip on him. "Chitoge? What are you doing here at a time like this? Shouldn't you be going home?" Raku inquired as he found himself subconsciously staring at her. "I was supposed to ask you the same thing, idiotic beansprout." She sounded really bitter, to the point that it actually hurts hearing it coming from her mouth. "Hey, hey... Did something wrong happen to you?"

"No shit." the heiress muttered briefly. "Sit." she commanded as the latter aggressively pulled his leg down, causing the inquisitive beansprout to trip over himself. "Ouch. Thanks for scraping my knee gorilla woman." Raku sarcastically replied. "Don't you know I'm in the middle of something important?" he continued with his tone quickly shifting into seriousness.

"Does it involve Kosaki-chan?" Chitoge asked, with her pale face crinkled with annoyance. Looking closely, Raku noticed some dried patches of tears coating the surface of her pale white cheeks. Clearly, she was bawling her eyes out when no one was looking, and something tells him that it has to be linked with the brunette and him, for some valid reason. "I've got mixed up into some trouble with her earlier. I need to apologize to her properly." the beansprout honestly stated, which caused the blonde heiress to blink rapidly until the life void from her dull dead eyes moderately returned.

 _Apologize?_ Chitoge thought as her lashes continued to flutter, perplexing the flustered lad sitting right next to her. "What do you mean by that?" she muttered out loud. "That?" he plainly asked her. "By apologize." the heiress clarified. "Oh. Well, you probably shouldn't know about this."

"Why not?"

"Because it seems wrong to straight out tell it to you." the beansprout paused for a split second before the curious blonde immediately opened up her mouth to say something in return.

"Ah, I see. You're pushing me away right? So that you can indulge yourself with another woman." Chitoge speculated accusingly, as she blatantly pointed out to the light blue skirt rolled up within the left side of his pocket. "Eh?!" he exclaimed unnaturally. "Y-You're wrong! I didn't do anything nasty to her! I was just fixing her skirt while she borrows my jogging pants. Don't you dare make weird stories about me. It's not cool." he sighed as he nervously scratched the back of his head.

"Then what did you do to her, then?" she asked yet again, with her face displaying a colorful mix of seriousness, curiosity and desperation. "Tell me. So that this 'fanfiction writer' wouldn't squeeze out any lemons on you." "Fine!" he reluctantly nodded with one eye darted directly at her.

"She confessed to me."

Her heart skipped a beat as he casually declared those words.

"Congratulations!" she greeted angrily.

"It's not what you think. What the heck is wrong with you?"

"After confessing my love to you, then this is what happens next. You're now dating another girl while we're seriously trying to maintain this fake relationship between us. Now I understand everything. I do not have to ask you some of the insanely stupid stuff I've scrapped out in my head. You should thank me for sparing you from it, fucker."

He flinched.

"Then if I'm dating Onodera now, then why should I apologize to her in the first place?" he barked back towards her wall of text.

"You like her, don't you? I know you do."

"What the hell?"

"She's all you could ever wish for a girlfriend. She's cute, feminine, kind, generous, sweet, caring, tender and honest. Didn't you say that you're attracted to girls like that? Oh, no. Excuse me, you were probably referring to her all along!"

"That's not true!" he solemnly shook his head. "Who told you about those things anyway?"

"Marika." she stated. "If you want this fake relationship to end, then we might as well end it now."

"I rejected her." he stated as he aggressively grabbed a firm grip on her shoulders. "That's why she ran off."

"And what makes me dull enough to believe you?" her pink lips quivered at the sight of his, as if she wanted to seductively bite them off. "I'm way smarter than you, you know? You can't easily fool me with your forked tongue. Use it on someone else, dipshit."

 _It's the classic Chitoge. Crap, I guess now's the time to lay it on her, huh? But I don't think I'm ready enough to do this. Shit. I don't even have the balls to do that! But...there's absolutely no way for me to convince her now. I guess there's no other choice. After all, actions do speak louder than words._

Raku quickly leaned in towards her and directly placed his lips over hers. He could feel an intense rush of euphoria washing over him like how the great waves hit the beach borne sands. He could feel her rapid, nervous breath fogging the inside of his mouth, and it felt absolutely awkward. He could feel Chitoge's stiff body soften up as if she's the most satisfied person in the whole planet. Strangely, she didn't even put up a fight.

Chitoge wanted to stay like this forever, to kiss him forever, but she clearly couldn't handle all of the happiness she's currently feeling at that very moment. It was the most unlikely thing that has ever happened to her, and possibly the greatest.

As their lips gently separated, the heiress felt her cheeks intensely burn up like the sun. Her beautiful blue eyes shifted in all directions away from him like a nervous kitten. "Um. Uh. I. What...uh?" she muttered apprehensively, like she's trying to make up a group of words yet failing to do so.

"I love you." the flushed beansprout stated as he anxiously looked away from her.

* * *

 ** _I think I'll just leave it at that. Please, savor that sweet moment of passion right there. See you guys in the next chapter._**


	6. Chapter 6 - The Scent of Orange Roses

_**"Love, I've come to understand, is more than three worlds mumbled before bedtime." - Nicholas Sparks,** The Wedding_

* * *

 **Chapter 6**

"Say it again." That was the first coherent sentence that came out of the heiress' mouth shortly after her lips passionately touched his. Her cheeks felt like they were on the verge of exploding. The insides of her head felt like they were densely mixed up like scrambled eggs. Her body felt like a living furnace, and no, she isn't having a fever. It's almost like she literally lived in the sun. And the funny thing is, no living thing could be strong enough to withstand its practically unlivable heat, yet one stolen kiss from an extremely dense beansprout made her subtly experience it. Strangely, it felt rather calming and exhilarating than painful. Heck, it isn't even painful to begin with.

The heiress was just exaggerating things at a undoubtedly devastating scale.

The black pupils which are imprisoned within her azure blue eyes dilated at a significant level, with the tips of her rich golden locks slightly standing up as if a mild electronic force was statically running through them like barbed wires. She could even feel her mouth drool up like a hungry baby's, much to her embarrassment.

 _I need to be sure...if he's actually serious about this._ Chitoge frantically thought as she patiently waited for the beansprout's response. She would've swore her senses temporarily heightened as the anticipation setting out of her face gradually grew.

* * *

She looked a thousand times prettier than usual and he didn't really know what has actually caused it. Could the answer possibly lie within the kiss itself? That's physically impossible. Could it be the lingering rush of euphoria he felt during that particular moment? Such an impulse is characteristically instant, so it's highly improbable. It would most likely be his initial perspective of the adorable blonde _after_ he chose to lock lips with her at the last-minute.

No. That's not it. That's definitely not it. It's because she already looks like that since day one, and he failed to deeply look into it until this very moment.

"Say it again." She blurted out after a series of unfinished words that nervously jutted out of the tip of her tongue. Raku's heart fluttered vigorously as her elegant voice lightly echoed through the shallow depths of his ears. Those reasonably embarrassing words aren't easy for him to just mutter out a second time, but he needed to clarify it to her. Taking the whole thing into consideration, she has every right to hear those important words clearly, without him having to be interrupted by anyone else in the world.

After all, true love knows no boundaries. And this time, he has to do his responsibility to set things right.

He needed to acquire the balls to utter such brief and affectionate words, as well as the courage to gaze at the fair maiden straight in the face without holding anything back.

* * *

"I love you." he blurted out as his lips lightly pecked the center of the heiress' forehead with his arms tightly holding onto her now flinching form. Chitoge had the dramatic urge to burst into joyful tears as she continued to unnaturally heat up like the ancient molten peak of Mount Vesuvius. "How many times are you willing to say it?" The heiress heartily chuckled, as her highly anxious tone gradually turned brittle. "As many times as I can." Raku valiantly answered, and this time, he didn't care if he was being too cheesy for her to handle. "I don't care if you'll eventually get tired of hearing it." The beansprout continued with a crooked smile etched on his face.

"Don't be so stupid, unoriginal pig!" At this point, her tired eyes couldn't seem to hold them no longer. Large, transparent tears abruptly flowed out of her watery tear ducts as the heiress continued to chuckle happily regardless of the misplaced gesture. "O-Of course I won't get tired of it!" Her slender body gently quaked, being overwhelmed by all of the strong combinations of emotions rapidly welling up within her rapidly beating heart. "And I will never ever get tired of you!" she sniffed.

"Hey, hey...you don't need to bawl your eyes out. You wouldn't want to get yourself prematurely old, would you?" The beansprout replied with the tone of his voice dipped with sheer concern as he gently wiped her continuously flowing tears with his thumbs. "Shut up! I couldn't stop myself, you know? Hearing those unbelievable words from you makes me extremely happy...try to understand that clearly, okay?"

"Gotcha, I'll take that to heart. By the way, why would you even describe it that way?" Raku calmly asked as he deeply stared into the heiress' stellar and captivating eyes. "W-What do you mean?" Chitoge responded rather innocently as her runny blue eyes immediately reciprocated his dark indigo gaze. "Why would you classify it as 'unbelievable'?" he emphasized. "Basing on your incredibly dull and dense personality, those words were the last I would expect for you, of all people, to say to me." The heiress skittishly puffed her rosy cheeks as she said it. "And hearing you confess to me feels like I've just witnessed the stuff of legend. Oh God, I feel really hopeless!"

"Do you know what else is unbelievable?" The beansprout paused as he waited for her answer. "What? Your confidence?" she meekly chuckled as her tears reduced into small droplets. _Stop hurting my dignity as a man!_ "Hey, I'm plenty confident." Raku brashly muttered. "Show me." she relentlessly taunted. "Tell me." "I would, but I don't think it's the right time for me to say it." he snappishly scratched his tepid cheek whilst shying away from her prolonged and innocent stare. "I don't want to rush everything in one roll. It's just...not my style."

"I know." the heiress gently smiled as her eyes tenderly closed shut. "But that doesn't justify all of the exceptionally brave things you've done to me..." "Hey! Don't make it sound so perverted!" he frantically barked as his body heated up with the dirty thought swiftly racing itself across the complex plains of his mind like a stereo typically boring televised NASCAR race. "Sorry 'bout that. My mouth slipped." The heiress cutely teased as she playfully opened up one of her eyes with her tongue comically sticking out. "Nobody slips their tongue like that. You were obviously speaking fluently."

"Isn't that a word associated with how effortlessly good you are at speaking a certain language?" He could deeply sense Chitoge's sarcasm as she effortlessly blurted out that simple question.

"Please don't be sarcastic at a time like this. You should by emotional by now." he said.

"Of course I am." the blonde lass sniffed. "And _you_ should get used to me by now, rice boy." she lightly laughed at how weird and awkward the pet name sounded.

"Where did that come from?" he lightly scoffed. _Please don't call me that._ "I bet on my savings that you don't know what it actually means."

"You can keep your money. I'm not a gold digger. And for your information, I do know what it means. It just sounds aborable." she muttered as if she was revoking an argument. _And unintentionally racist!_

"I was just joking."

"You always do."

"..."

"..."

And then, there was idle silence. No, it's not the kind of silence that deeply buzzes through your ears like the famed Bristol Hum, but a characteristically peaceful type where mundane minuscule noises still occupy the lit, desolate atmosphere. The star-crossed pair had probably ran out of randomized words to say to each other. Or maybe they've just realized that they have stayed completely still in that embarrassing position for over 10 minutes, with their bodies mutually pressed against each other, clearly hearing the jumpy rhythm of each other's heartbeats. "So, um...I guess we should go home." The nervous beansprout slowly loosened her grip around the heiress, who looked like she was enjoying it wholeheartedly, a likened to that of a 10 year old kid mounted upon a kiddie ride at a local carnival.

In a split second, her frantic nervousness quickly shifted into impatient annoyance. "Really?" she aggressively whined. "After stealing each other's first kisses when nobody's around, cuddling each other like teddy bears until our legs gotten numb and sharing an unfortunately brief session of lackluster wordplay, you would just end it all up in the most cliché way possible? Just...don't." _Why am I being so...demanding?_

"You're right, Chitoge." he immediately responded after taking a quick moment to ponder on her brutally honest words. "Maybe I should twist things up a little bit." _Twist?!_ The heiress mentally gasped as her immensely sentient brain directly kick started itself to overwork itself in order to deliberately seek out the sole meaning behind the cracks and hinges of his sentences until her head eventually explodes.

"Raku?" she hesitantly called out to him as the beansprout continued to mull over the reckless idea of deviating from his natural drift. Aside from his heavily flustered cheeks, the formation of his eyes sharply narrowed as if he was aiming directly at something right in front of him without resorting into the common luxury of speaking a single word. With those absurdly rare features lit up like that of inconsistent taillights, one thing's for certain; he looked awfully focused.

"Let's end this fake relationship of ours."

* * *

 _ **"Sometimes I wish I could read your mind. But then, I wonder if I could handle the truth." - Nicholas Sparks,** The Vow_

* * *

Chitoge was utterly dumbfounded by his genuinely dangerous proposal. Dangerous? Yes, that's one effective way to describe that simple concept in a nutshell. Genuine? How in the world would she even know? There's actually no denying that there was a time the heiress desperately wanted to end the scripted relationship as soon as possible. Well, that was way before she deeply fell in love with him. It feels incredibly ironic.

..and cliche, like the majority of the corny and fluffy romance novels she usually buys at the local bookstore on a weekly basis. "Is that what you meant by 'twisting'?" she sounded like she had been afflicted by the inescapable urge to clock him so hard in the head with the blunt ends of her bony knuckles. Barbaric? Indeed. Violent? Characteristically so; but resorting into pacifism would seem slightly out of context for a wild child such as herself. Not that it really mattered to her anyway.

"Way to go, genius! You're only going to turn things into high-grade bullshit; not just for us, but for everybody else! If we would just...j-just fucking split up for no apparent reason, nothing in this city will remain standing like a bitch. You know that pretty darn well, right?" Profanity. Out of all the various speech patterns used to express one's feelings into words, she had the liberty to speak like a foul mouthed gangster.

Good Lord, it's like she's trying to rob herself a bank. Well, I guess being the sole heiress to a huge and complex criminal organization such as the Beehive Gang does have it's disadvantages. And that includes impulsively speaking like a natural born criminal. Or maybe the heiress felt incredibly bitter after hearing such a delicate sentence with the word 'end' attached to it. A sentence coming straight out of the beansprout's mouth, that is.

"Hear me out." Raku sternly commanded as he remained unfazed by her rather rocky response. "Jeez, you'll never learn anything if you'll continue to spontaneously conclude things without knowing the truth behind it. You see-" "Listen up, bozo. I'm not your average, stereotypical air-headed rich kid who doesn't know the meaning behind the world's most simple, commonplace sentences. You wanted to stop this relationship simply because you're tired of it, and you kissed me and spoke honeyed words right after that as a grand consolation prize in order to properly pursue Kosaki-chan." her tone gradually wobbled as her mouth ran through her own words.

"After all, choosing me is like picking the Joker in a card game. I'm not one of those traditional Japanese beauties you usually fawn over; in fact, I'm biracial, so I don't actually belong anywhere. I'm far from being girly and refined. If you would compare me to the likes of Marika and Kosaki-chan, I'm nothing but a brutal gorilla. I'm violent, careless, cowardly...and I both suck at cooking and cleaning..." she was practically spitting out her insecurities right in front of him, and it hurts like a bitch.

"That's the kind of woman I want." the beansprout declared, which immediately silenced the ranting heiress to no avail. "You see, the reason why I wanted to end our fake relationship right now is because it feels flat out stupid. Scheduled dates? Scripted acting? Strategic routines? Yeah right. As if I wanted to go on with a relationship that only lasts for 3 years."

 _Raku..._

"I think it's time for us to do whatever we want and live happily." "I don't want you to!" she interrupted. "All of those sweet words I've said to you while the grunts were lingering around...aren't scripted anymore. I actually enjoy all of our dates together...and honestly, I look forward to them every single week. Please...even if it only lasts for 3 years...I just..."

"I'm asking you to be my girlfriend." he bravely brought out the bomb, as if it were his last resolve, with hopes that it would set everything straight. "Ah." Her mouth opened blankly as a gentle breeze silently swiped through her damp cheeks. "Why didn't you just say that in the first place?!" she loudly roared like a raging bull as her long, unkept hair rose and sprawled up like she was literally on the verge of going Super Saiyan. "I'm not the type who rushes things." he briefly explained. "Why would you go out of your way to say the most misleading and necessary things if your sole purpose is to dramatically ask me out?! Would it kill you if you would just blurt it out normally like how a normal person should? I could go on and on about this!"

"Why won't you stop complaining and whining about everything I've done and tell me your answer?" Raku inquired, looking rather impatient and vexed. "I deserve to hear a proper proposal without the presence of bullshit." Chitoge stated as she winced at him. Seriously, it's like they're arguing rather than confessing.

"Chitoge Kirisaki, I am the most idiotic, dense, senseless and frustrating guy you've ever met. I know I don't deserve to be called your boyfriend, and I know there are a lot of guys in this world who outclasses someone as pathetic as me. But I'm asking you this simple question. I don't know if you're going to take this seriously after all of the dumb stuff I've said, but I'm not hesitating to put it into words. Chitoge, will you be my girlfriend?"

* * *

Without even the slightest of sudden warnings, Chitoge quickly pinned him up against the wall like how a skilled predator corners its common prey. "Hey, Darling..." The beansprout couldn't move an inch as the heiress' face slowly leaned closer towards him. "Y-Yeah?" he nervously whimpered as he instinctively caught her sweet scent. "Since we're a real couple now...do you think it's time for us to...you know? Kiss?" she shyly grinned as her lips chillingly tingled as if the latter had just tasted the mild transparent kick of seaborne poison.

Raku couldn't completely process everything else she'd said in the back of his anxious mind right after she had deliberately uttered the word 'kiss'. "I-I know we've already done that a few minutes ago. It's just that I wanted to feel it a bit more...properly." Her cheeks deeply flushed as she noticed the young lad's blank, spaced out expression. Damn, if you could donate anything; and I mean anything for him to use, please, give this young man some legitimate balls. _God, I'm so pathetic._ The heiress thought to herself as she felt utterly embarrassed by her seemingly futile advances.

"Ah-Ah, never mind that! As long as we're official, there's nothing for me to get upset about!" _Yeah, I do have a huge point about that...well, we do have a lot to go through before we would eventually decide to take it into the next level. Maybe I'm being too needy for him...I hope he doesn't regret choosing me._ "Let's get on with it, then." he quietly muttered under his breath as his heart raced intensely. "Eh?! Are you really serious about this? Like, really, really serious about actually doing this?" she exclaimed.

"Why not?" the beansprout sheepishly shrugged as he found himself peering into the young heiress' eyes. "Don't act like I'm not the lucky bastard who kissed you back then." "Sorry, if I'm being too pushy for you." The heiress gently bit the bottom half of her lip with her head slightly tilted. "You've always been like that." he smiled in reaction to her apparent and unnecessary apology. "And you seem to be liking it, judging by the tone of your voice." The blonde lass snappily remarked. "Don't get me wrong, I don't actually like it, I love it. Those statements are two different things, you know."

"I thought you've stated that you didn't like to rush things? It's strange how a tiny beansprout like you could tolerate my impatience."

"To hell with that."

After a short pause, the heiress gradually leaned in closer towards his face and gently placed her soft lips over his. Once again, they could feel their warm breaths collide like conflicting winds as the same rush of euphoria completely invaded their bodies for the second time. His broad arms blindly wrapped themselves around her stiffening body as their proud, pounding chests pressed against each other. Chitoge ran her smooth, polished fingers through the surface of his face as the kiss gradually intensified by the second.

* * *

Hearing her moan softly was one of the most awkward yet amazing things he had ever heard, but he didn't take even the shortest moment to ponder upon it. The beansprout didn't possess the luxury of time to do so, and if in case he did, there's no way he would actually bring himself to do that. The heiress smelled like a luxurious bed of orange roses; faint yet sweet to the nose like the natural scent of fresh fruits. Her warm, damp lips unmistakably tasted like that of plump luscious cherries, as if she literally coated them with the actual fruit. Who would ever thought that the taste of one's lips greatly outclass all of the various desserts he'd eaten.

It feels like she's blissfully floating in the middle of space, without the intention of turning back from whence she came. Chitoge couldn't help but let out a few short moans as she vulnerably succumbed into the inescapable pleasure. She felt absolutely dirty; soiled, and deflowered. Deflowered, you say? Of course not, the lad couldn't afford to touch her just yet. (Though she secretly wished to, but that's highly unlikely, since it would only make things more difficult for them than they already are.) His warm cheeks felt vaguely smooth to the touch as her fingers mildly trailed through its surface like she owned them.

The heiress' heart couldn't stop beating as she felt his damp tongue intertwining with hers. At this point, she was completely lost in her own scrambled thoughts, and she didn't want the sensation to stop. But as the young blonde began exploring his mouth, that's when the beansprout abruptly opened his eyes.

* * *

He had crossed the line. He had definitely crossed the line right there. And now he couldn't stop feeling like a pompous pervert. _What the fuck did I just do?_ he thought to himself as his lips promptly separated from hers with one wet smack. "Hmm." The young lass mumbled as if she was making noises in her sleep. "Hmm?" her brows raised as she immediately noticed the absence of his touch. "S-Sorry! I was too absorbed with what I'm doing that I..." How could he even explain it to her clearly? They've locked tongues, and that's what he could safely classify as adult grade content right there. "We could've lasted longer." she pouted as her head deliberately sunk to her knees. _She...she enjoyed it?!_

"Anyways, it was fun while it lasted." A nervous, embarrassed and crooked smile instantly formed on top of her lips. Fun; what a great and innocent way to describe the steamy moment. "Yeah...it was."

"Heh." They blurted out simultaneously as the illuminated hallways remained desolate as they were when they initially crossed each other. "It's late." Raku stated as he took note of the abysmally dark sky shown through the glassy rows of windows. "I know." Chitoge shyly nodded as she continued to look below her. "So, want me to walk you home?" he cheerfully offered as if nothing intimate between them has happened. "Let's go, darling. Can I truly call you 'darling' without feeling embarrassed, right?"

"As long as you don't call me 'rice boy', then I'm completely fine with it." That simple name never ceases to make him laugh for some reason.

"Great! So, since we're officially dating, we need to secretly inform our dads about this whole thing."

"Do you think that's completely necessary?" he blandly inquired. "Of course it is!" she protested like a little girl. "Well, it would greatly lessen the odds of us getting separated when we graduate...let's do this. But who are we going to tell first?"

"We could go at my place!" Chitoge eagerly offered as she swiftly snagged his arm like a glossy handbag. "What do you say? My place is fairly close to yours and the food's obviously great. We could talk to my dad after dinner too." she added. "Well, I'll have to look out for Claude and Tsugumi again." The beansprout cautiously reminded.

"Don't worry about that. I'll take care of them for you." The heiress confidently assured.

"Of course you will. We're the ultimate tag team."

"No, we're the ultimate couple."

* * *

"I'm deeply sorry, Kosaki. I cannot do anything else to help you get to him now. You've just lost him." A petite young girl with waist length dark brown hair stated as she adjusted the thin rims of her glasses. Ruri Miyamoto was hiding at one corner of the hallway, purposely spying at the two lovers as they walked together. The miniature lass slumped herself against the walls as she slid down to the floor. "Love, huh?" A strained, raspy sigh quickly escaped her mouth. "I wonder how it feels like?"

* * *

 **A/N**

 **First off, I would like to apologize for the extremely long wait. I was dealing with a mild case of writer's block, so I had to edit a truckload of text to get the whole chapter flowing just right. After all, I do not want my beloved readers to get bored with my work just because I've failed to make it better than the previous ones. (In fact, this chapter is actually the second draft for the 6th one; Chapter 6.2, to put it more appropriately. What happened to the first one, you may ask? Well, I didn't really know where that one would lead to, so I completely scrapped it out and made the final edition after days of finding the right descriptive content for it to fit in.)**

 **Yes, if you've noticed it, I've completely changed the summary and got rid of all the vagueness it displayed, and I'm planning to make my own custom cover if I only could find the perfect picture suitable to represent the story. (I'm looking right at you, Tumblr and Google Images. Don't disappoint me.)**

 **I had a really long week. Just the other day, I thought I had a heart ailment; but it turns out I greatly lacked some of them good old exercise to the point that a good number of my muscles cramped up. (Thank God.) Setting that sad inconvenience aside, my 18th birthday just passed by last month and I got to say, I don't really feel much of a difference.**

 **Anyways, I would like to thank you all for the- HOLY FUCK. 19 faves and 29 follows?! That's just...insane. Really, I've never even thought that this story would be able to even bypass 10. The funny thing is, this story greatly outclasses my very first fanfic, which as over 24 chapters, in a matter of 5. I could not properly express my thankfulness towards you all into words, but as corny and cliche as it sounds, I would like to say this over and over again; Thank you for reading and appreciating my story, it means a lot to me, you probably have no idea how important it is in my perspective.**

 **I'm greatly flattered by all of the positive feedback I've been having lately, and I hope I would still pique your interests without the risk of getting a tad bit rusty in my writing. I would like to give my shout outs individually, but I don't want to leave anyone out...so...yeah.**

 **I guess you're bored with reading this bold lump of text, so I'll just have to end it here. See you in the next chapter, and I promise I'll give an individual shout out to you guys in the next author's note.**


	7. Chapter 7 - Slow, Redundant Beeps

_**"Just because you don't understand something doesn't mean it's nonsense." - Lemony Snicket**_

* * *

 **Chapter 7**

As she casually walked herself home during the early hours of the evening, Ruri couldn't stop picturing out that particular moment stored at the back of her generally intelligent mind over and over like a severely broken mix tape; And it feels absurdly annoying and undeniably beautiful at the same time. If that statement alone isn't odd enough on its own, the bespectacled lass didn't feel even the slightest flare of wrath as she saw their delicate lips clash.

Sure, her precious best friend, who she had faithfully rooted for all this time, inevitably lost the battle of love to one of her most closest friends in a single landslide. But despite being the first to gain the knowledge of that painful truth, she decided to let things flow by their own accord. After all, the final outcome of this seamlessly complex romantic ordeal solely depended on the feelings of a certain dense boy. To sum it all up in one go, it all depended on the ever changing course of the human will to choose whatever is the most favorable factor.

After all, what kind of peculiar right does she exactly possess in order to deliberately question the universally ancient and unchangeable law that is the existence of free will? Such an omnipresent system is undeniably the inevitable cause of a lot of irreversible things done through the ongoing course of history, but even though the bespectacled lass had the absolute freedom to deny the fact, she passively chose not to.

With that tiresome inconvenience of a task ultimately scratched off the moderately long bucket list, the only dutiful thing Ruri needed to do at this point is to straight out tell Kosaki the horribly ugly truth. But the real problem lies within the proposed action itself; what if accomplishing her honest duty as a friend completely destroys the gentle brunette to no avail? Based on her own analytical, personal, logical and psychological understanding of the shy and sensitive lass, the odds of that ever happening would probably sit around the notably above average marks of 80% and beyond.

* * *

Yup, it's definitely going to happen. Without a single doubt setting within the depths of her constantly beating heart, she knows all too well that it's going to be a dreaded reality, and beyond that stoic expression on her pale face and her emerald green eyes lies a deeply worried young lady on the verge of shamelessly breaking down. Sure, it wasn't her loss; but it oddly felt like it was. It's like all that saved energy the latter had willingly invested on being Kosaki's ever supportive romantic protege plainly was for nothing.

And to think that overstaying at the school's library right after class and eventually witnessing a mutual love confession between the previously fake couple on the way to retrieving her bag immediately triggered those negative thoughts like that of a simple light switch.

Ruri would've easily brought her dreaded bag along with her to prevent that so-called 'accident' from ever happening right in front of her glass coated eyes. But unfortunately, she's no psychic. It's not like the petite lass can actually foresee what lies ahead of her. Such a preposterous idea couldn't help but make her giggle as if she had just cracked up a really funny yet unfunny kind of joke.

Deliberately placing those humanly deep thoughts and regrets aside like a scattered pile of assorted poker chips, she continued to walk through the busy streets like how a normal person should, tightly clutching her school bag against her chest like it was in fact a moderately large and fluffy stuffed animal.

 _The concept of love...I don't really get it. Why does everybody around me take it rather seriously? Why does society chose to glorify it? Why does it influence a lot of people to do the most idiotic and craziest things? Sometimes I'm ashamed to even classify myself as a human._ The bespectacled lass thought to herself as she shamelessly passed through the opened gates of the local church right in the middle of a grandiose wedding ceremony.

 _Seriously. It's like the world wanted to properly educate me about the complex subject in a subliminally practical manner._ She gently snorted.

 _There's absolutely no need for you to do this to me. I can, without fail, thoroughly study about it by myself. And besides, my life long dream of becoming a famous psychologist and translator would be entirely unsatisfying if you would just directly spoon feed me like a highly dependent child._

With her words unshaped and unheard, Ruri wasn't mentally speaking to herself. In fact, she was actually sharing her honest thoughts and opinions to the world itself, as if the latter was literally attempting to personally scold it for being too convenient for her. Well, it's not like passing through a fully packed up church amidst an important religious ceremony was a convenience. It was, in fact, a mild embarrassment which she herself could afford to pass off within a matter of seconds.

" _There's no law that says you can't go after someone just because he's already in love with someone else."_ Her verdant, glassy eyes abruptly expanded as she randomly recalled her very own words as well as the particular memory associated with it like a double package. _What the hell am I thinking?_ The witty little runt blankly thought as she gradually stopped dead on her own tracks.

 _Am I unintentionally turning myself into a shameless hypocrite?_

* * *

 ** _"If you have to beg someone to be in your life, they don't belong there." - Mandy Hale_**

* * *

The insides of her deeply sunken, fragile heart felt like an empty glass vase; Naturally hollow, lifelessly cold, and ready to break at a moment's notice.

Kosaki Onodera sat at the edge of her unkempt bed with silent, seemingly endless bitter tears continuously flowing out of her watery chocolate-brown eyes. She deliberately neglected the heavily routine thought of changing her slightly tattered uniform, which was odd, considering that the gentle brunette always changes to her adorable house clothes the very moment she steps into her own isolated world that is her bedroom.

 _"Do you love her more than me?"_

The answer to that embarrassing yet arrogant question was clearly obvious from the moment his dark-indigo eyes widened with utter surprise. The way he eagerly nodded in response to her words made her feel like she had just drenched herself with a heavy iron bucket filled with ice-cold water. It burns; The feeling of her constantly flowing blood abruptly heating up in order to adjust to the merciless coldness birthed from the heavily concentrated liquid touching the smooth surface of her snow-white skin.

Sure, there wasn't a bucket of ice to begin with, nor did she actually bathe herself in it like that of a reckless oaf. In fact, the scary thing is that a single pair of simple yet brief words which immediately escaped the beansprout's mouth from the tip of his tongue made her taste it otherwise. Well, it cannot be considered as an indirect French kiss, as much as the brunette desperately hoped for it to be.

 _"I do."_

The tone in his voice never budged, even for the smallest bit, like that of a solid boulder amidst a seamlessly flowing stream. But the physical indicators of his highly expressive eyes remained astonished as they were since she last spoke to him a few seconds ago during that particular moment in time. Deep within the darkest depths of her heart, Kosaki wanted the outcome to change, like that of a visual novel. She wanted the beansprout to tell her that he loves her, and that he would never let her go no matter what the cost. Those were the words the brunette dangerously wished for more than anything else in the world.

Fuck. If only she could undo the past and change everything from point zero, things wouldn't have ended up like this; like a disastrous pile of bent and broken steel that is the site of a train wreck. If only she would convey her true feelings for him without hesitating and spacing out before Chitoge greedily steals him away, they would've been dating now, sending each other flirtatious text messages and sensually locking lips when the situation calls for it.

If; A single syllable word which is mainly associated with the idea of various imaginary possibilities and plans that are yet to be realized and not that of supernaturally foreseen events that would most likely happen in the distant future. That sucks, considering that she'd regretfully thought of the irritating word over a dozen times without stopping. Would it literally destroy the universe if she would just snag the golden opportunity to spend the rest of her days with Raku Ichijou?

Why would she be even thinking that way? It's not like the entire galaxy solely revolves and focuses itself around someone as insignificant as her. If so, the world around her would be literally falling apart within a matter of extremely short yet tirelessly grueling seconds. No, the way the brokenhearted lass envisions things isn't actually the question which was set in mind. After all, why would Kosaki afford to continuously fall in love with a guy that never came after her when she ran like the brunette had seen the darkest depths of hell itself?

She couldn't help but sob bitterly, as if a huge chunk of her being died along with some of her delicate facial cells due to all of that crying she made. Pointless, isn't it? Kosaki couldn't go anywhere with the man she loves if the pale lass continues to sit there dormant, devoid of doing anything that could potentially mitigate her big fat emotional problem.

How could she possibly make a huge difference with the seemingly merciless and dense beansprout after the grand fiasco she had unknowingly birthed out? It's like the brunette regretfully smeared a large pasty pile of assorted mashed potatoes against the internationally acclaimed Mona Lisa with her bare hands, and of course, it feels absolutely horrible. Irreversible. Irredeemable. Not to mention extremely idiotic...kinda like how everyone else sees him, in a way.

"Why do you always have to pop out at the most inappropriate times, Ichijou-kun?" The deeply crestfallen brunette blurted out as her voice sounded mildly hoarse and severely broken. Sure, he couldn't hear anything coming straight out of her quivering mouth due to the undefinable distance between them, but she couldn't resist the urge to speak to him, even if he isn't present in the room at that very moment.

"Why can't you just go after me?..."

* * *

For some highly ambiguous reason, Haru Onodera couldn't stop thinking about her brave and gallant prince. 'Gallant', eh? More like wimpy, out-worldly dense and shy. 'Brave'? Well, he did save her butt more than once, like how a typical knight in shining armor frequently rescues his trapped and vulnerable princess from the treacherous clutches of a ferocious fire breathing dragon and an ancient evil overlord.

He may look pretty average and sup bar for a high school crush, and that a lot of guys in this vast world that look a hundred times better than him, but his radiant smile is what never ceases to make her young heart flutter every single time. If she could only had the luxury of time to look at him rather closely, the mini brunette could subtly notice his well chiseled form, like he was literally sculpted out from scratch by a famous artist. But what deeply transcends the bean sprout's mundane physical limits is his peerless chivalry. And the funny thing is, that distinct redeeming quality of his what actually makes him all the more attractive than that of a really dreamy super model in her smokey-brown eyes.

What the hell?

Why is she even affectionately daydreaming about the adorable idiot like the latter practically belonged to her first? Isn't he supposed to be her future brother-in-law if things would undoubtedly work out between him and her beloved older sister? Well, it would be incredibly awkward and sad if she eventually attends their wedding sometime in the near future, sitting at the front-most seat of the church, nearest to the decorated altar, clad in a glossy white gown...witnessing the technically engaged star-crossed couple exchanging a pair of repeated vows and sharing an irrevocable and climactic kiss to officially seal the deal.

If that scenario alone makes her sister unbelievably happy, then why wouldn't she be? After all, Haru isn't the even first one who've got to know a lot about him to begin with. And plus, he doesn't even consider her as a fully fledged woman in his eyes. But the question is...how would she even know?! Recently, the mini brunette began subtly enhancing her overall appearance. By doing her glorious, messy and long dark-brown hair more often than usual, gently massaging her breasts every time she goes into the bathroom to make them look more noticeable, delicately painting the smooth surface of her long glossy nails like a blank canvas...

Eh?

Is she subconsciously competing with her saintly and universally admirable big sister? Not that she even stood a fighting chance, though. Sure, Haru literally won against her at the school's annual beauty pageant in a landslide, with the use of a frilly wedding dress that took time to slide into as her greatest trump card, and even getting to steal the last dance with guy she unfortunately has a huge crush on beside the enormous bonfire that greatly lit the school's grounds like a giant paper lantern, but that still doesn't prove anything. In the end, it all depended on the upperclassman's genuine feelings, and of course, he obviously has a thing for the gentle and captivating young maiden named Kosaki Onodera.

But of course, Haru did took the personal pledge to fully support her to the bitter end when it comes to accomplishing the latter's romantic dreams, but something feels really off about the idea of doing so. It's like the mini brunette is deeply regretting every single word she confidently uttered out during that time, but that doesn't mean she's indirectly betraying her sister's indispensable trust...right?

Now there she was, nervously standing still in front of the blank wooden door leading to her sister's ominously silent room, with her small delicate hands tightly grabbing a genuinely firm hold of the generic metal knob as she slowly summoned the strength and confidence to simply twist it right open. "Onee-chan?" she reluctantly called out into the restraining void, with her innocent gaze welcomed by nothing but concealing darkness. "It's me, Haru." the lass managed to cough out her own name with all her might.

Haru took a deep, concentrated breath before taking the unnecessary plunge of explaining herself for her impolite actions. "You see, there's something I wanted to talk to you about, and it's been bothering me for a couple of months now, so...could I come in?" After swiftly running her slick tongue through those commonly spoken words, she could literally feel a single bead of cold sweat slowly trickling through the tender surface of her flustered cheeks.

After a few idle seconds of anxiously anticipating for her sister's required consent, Haru's constantly beating heart literally sank down as the mini brunette finally heard the broken brittle sound of bitter crying. As the artificially engineered fluorescent light shining behind her miniature slender form began to illuminate a good part of the lonely dark room, her eyes immediately widened with surprise as soon as she saw her beloved older sister curled up into a ball, lying against the cold damp floor with a large river of salty tears flowing out of her seemingly tired eyes.

"Onee-chan!" she desperately cried out as the extremely worried lass swiftly sprinted towards the helpless brunette without even thinking twice.

"H-Haru-chan...? What are you doing here...at a time like this?" Kosaki quietly mumbled after a series of strong pushes and nudges against her limp and professedly lifeless shoulders.

"Does it even matter now?" Haru urgently replied as she firmly grasped upon her sister's unbelievably cold and mushy hands. "What happened to you?" she continued.

"I've just got a large heap of dust blown into my eyes while I was cleaning the room, that's all..." A weak and obviously forced up smile slowly peeled up against the flawlessly white rows of Kosaki's teeth. "You don't have to get so worked up over it..."

"You're lying." Haru bluntly stated with a genuinely lonely frown forming around her delicate lips. "I know you are..."

"Is that so...? Gosh, I'm such a terrible liar." The older brunette chuckled hoarsely as she heavily sniffed out a slimy heap of colorless snot straight from the clogged and narrow confines of her cute little nose. It was a fairly disgusting sight, really, if you could vividly visualize it in a realistic light. "Sorry for letting you see all that. I just couldn't stop myself."

"You don't have to apologize, Onee-chan." The lass solemnly stated as she started to intensively look at her messy sister straight into her horrendously dull-brown eyes. "You'll just have to honestly tell me every single thing that's bugging you now. And I don't take vagueness as a proper answer." Haru's seamlessly effeminate and authoritative tone was undoubtedly dead serious, and by elaborately judging the lass' performance solely through her tender sisterly actions, she might as well be the dependable older sister of the family at this rate.

"You're being too hard on me again, as always..." Kosaki weakly replied as she instantaneously felt a warm hasty rush of overwhelming reluctance mercilessly gracing through her veins. "You see, I've been such a reckless klutz today...and the funny thing is...I've finally got my heart broken because of it."

* * *

 ** _"My only love sprung from my only hate!" - Juliet,_** _Romeo and Juliet, Act I, Scene V_

* * *

The heavily decorated and constantly shimmering golden gates which vigilantly guarded the sole entrance into the modern castle that is Kirisaki Manor proudly stood tall with unwavering fortitude as it statically loomed over the newly authenticated couple like that of an ancient doorway leading to an entirely different world. Sure enough, this clearly wasn't the first time the beansprout needed to casually pass through this fancy piece of firmly welded steel, and usually, he would grace through it alone.

But that particular night felt incredibly special for him, like it was the eve of his birthday or some commemorative event of the same class. With his undoubtedly adorable girlfriend affectionately wrapping her smooth slender arms around his waist from behind like a baby sloth, Raku subtly knew the apparent reason behind that weird tempest of unfamiliar feelings he's currently facing. They're about to pass through that lavish gate as a real couple without the obligatory need to genuinely act against their will. And that means that they do not have to worry about rendering their grunts suspicious about the formerly fabricated state of their relationship anymore.

Knowing that undeniable truth, the beansprout couldn't stop himself from cracking up a wholesome goofy smile to signify the utter satisfaction of being liberated from such limitations.

"Darling," Chitoge quietly called out as the heiress snugly buried her face against his fairly warm back like she's leaning against a large pillow. "Are you nervous?" she finally inquired with a dash of genuine concern sprinkled upon her surprisingly gentle tone.

"I guess, knowing that I'll have to carefully talk this out with your dad...and besides, won't he get really pissed off if he finds out? He's _your_ dad after all." replied Raku, who looked like he's about to literally explode into tiny chunks of bloodied flesh due to the awkwardly heart-stopping sensation of heiress' soft breasts unintentionally leaning flat against his clothing covered skin.

"Of course not, chicken brains. Why would he even allow us to go out on routine dates in the first place?" The heiress retorted, placing out another question right next to the answer lying before it. "Maybe it's because he deeply trusts you." The beansprout casually stated with a faint smile etched out on the dry surface of his lips. "There's no other explanation besides that. Plus, you're more than capable of defending yourself." he confidently added.

* * *

"You're both right _and_ wrong, Darling." the heiress solemnly stated as her tight grip around him intensified. "It's true that I have the strength of a hundred men, but I don't think he even has the time to watch over me as a father."

"He deeply cares about you, Chitoge." Raku cautiously reminded as the beansprout felt an ominous air of mild sadness emanating from her. "You should know that better than I do. Just take a quick look at your place!" he pointed out with his hands raised with emphasis. "Yeah, right. That's what every desperate real estate agent would say." she jokingly remarked.

"I was just trying to help." Raku grumpily muttered under his breath like a moping little boy.

"I know." she simply stated with a tight smile on her face. "I know that way better than you."

"But of course." he briefly replied with a crooked smirk on his face. "I'm just a flimsy little beansprout."

"Hey! You're not just a flimsy little beansprout, silly you. You're _my_ flimsy little beansprout." The heiress affectionately corrected after a short pause.

"D-Does that make any difference?" inquired Raku, with the tip of his shiny cheeks slightly reddening in response to her rather embarrassing statement.

"Not really, though. It's that you're mine and nobody else's." Chitoge bluntly stated. "Sorry, does that creep you out?" she immediately asked, with the tone of her gentle voice sounding rather cautious than sarcastic.

"Not even for one bit." The beansprout honestly answered as he shook his head.

"Gosh." she cried out. "You're so cliché, it hurts." The heiress lightly chuckled at the thought of her own words.

"In what way?" he simply asked.

"A lot of ways." replied Chitoge, with her azure blue eyes staring up at the infinitely twinkling stars above them. "There's just so much of them that I shouldn't bother counting." she vaguely explained as she snappily adjusted her crimson ribbon.

"Like the stars in the galaxy?"

"Yup, sorta like that. Speaking of which, you're actually looking the wrong way, bozo." The heiress nonchalantly pointed out.

"I don't have to." The beansprout replied with a mildly sardonic smile on his face. "After all, I've got the entire universe clinging behind my back."

* * *

As those positively flattering words eluded her normally gullible smooth talking boyfriend's mouth, the heiress couldn't properly seek out the best combination of witty words and corny phrases to say to him in response. Well, it may cheekily signify the brutally exaggerated weight of her well-maintained voluptuous body, though judging solely by that sincerely compassionate tone ridden within his voice, that's most likely not the case, even the imaginary butterflies which mercilessly ravaged the insides of her stomach would repetitively tell her the same old thing, over and over like a moderately large flock of pestering little children.

"A-Are you even trying?" her now tensed up voice nervously shivered as her heart happily skipped a couple of never-ending beats. It's strange, really, considering that they're already dating...for real, that is, and that nothing awkward would possibly happen between them now that a barrage of embarrassingly romantic compliments and honeyed sweet talk are now commonplace among couples. But why does she have to subconsciously react that way? Shouldn't she be well accustomed to the amount of praise she expects to hear from him? That's what the heiress desperately yearned from him.

"Define 'trying'." he jokingly muttered with a sly smirk etched across his lips. "Have you heard that line in some smut novel or something?" The beansprout cautiously asked. Sure, it may seem like the most inappropriate thing to say to someone as conservative as her, but it's for the best. After all, the conversation's getting really, really awkward for him to actually handle.

Her cheeks suddenly flared up like a blazing furnace, and her lips quivered and squirmed as if she's about to recite a really long poem in front of an overwhelmingly large crowd. "Shut up, pervert!" Chitoge embarrassingly barked as she quickly released him away from her grasp, crossing her arms. "You don't have to ruin this enjoyable moment, idiot." The heiress quietly mumbled under her breath, directly facing the ground beneath her fidgeting feet.

"Sorry," muttered Raku as he immediately turned around to face her, with his eyes subtly avoiding her stellar gaze. "I kinda overdid it." he continued, compassionately wrapping his thin arms around her slender waist as the lad gently pressed her against him.

* * *

"Well, that's a miracle. You actually noticed it!" The heiress exclaimed as she puffed her cheeks like an angry blow fish, eyes all narrowed with displeasure. "Now stop acting like a total asshat and open up the gates for me, slave!" she immaturely commanded.

"I can't open that huge thing all by myself, you know." he simply stated, with his other eye staring back at the seemingly immovable entrance. "And besides, hugging you like a stuffed gorilla isn't what an asshat would normally do."

"Wait...did you just called me a 'stuffed gorilla'?" Chitoge blankly blinked with utter amazement.

"Well, indirectly, I guess...? Not that it's a bad thing to say though...It's just that-" For some apparent reason, he couldn't finish his own words. The beansprout sheepishly shrugged with his eyes submissively closed shut as the latter deeply anticipated for a barbarically violent jab through his broad and defenseless chest. Fortunately, after a few seconds of unnecessary readiness, nothing managed to vigorously rip through his wet and sensitive guts.

Much to his surprise, she actually laughed, as if the heiress never got annoyed with his rather insensitive remarks to begin with.

"Just as I thought!" Chitoge cheerily cried out as she jokingly pinched the sides of his nose with her fingers. "Just as I thought..." she mildly repeated with a tight smile.

"Hey...am I missing something here? Or am I just spacing out?" Raku hesitantly asked, darting her an obviously confused look on his face.

"That kiss back then never really changed anything between us, darling." The heiress calmly stated as her fingers snappishly ran through her lips. "But still...it feels really weird, if you give enough time to think about it."

"Isn't it a bit too early for you to say those kinds of things?" he slightly smirked at the thought. "We've still got a long way to go, you know."

"I know. Of course, I know the drill..." The slightly blushing lass slowly nodded with a scoff. "W-We're the ultimate couple, after all." her heart rapidly fluttered as she nervously said it.

"Well then. Since we're the ultimate couple...could you lend me a hand? It's kinda hard to swing with one arm, so you better be careful about that." informed the beansprout as he immediately grabbed a firm hold of one side of the glossy golden gate like a sturdy fishing rod.

* * *

With the single effortless push of her delicate-looking hands, the lavish gates swung wide open as it clanged, much like a tolling church bell.

"Good job." he blankly complimented as the sound of the vibrating metal bars ringed through his misfortunate ears.

"Well, we could've eaten dinner already if we never shared this boring conversation." The heiress logically stated.

"Everything spent with you isn't boring." he solemnly retorted with his eyes timidly shifting away from her. "Just saying."

"Whatever, darling. If spending the whole night hanging my clothes for me isn't boring enough, I don't know what is."

"Did you say clothes?" his eyes suddenly lit up like a large heap of cheap Christmas lights.

"Yeah. Do you have a problem with that?" Chitoge innocently nodded with her brows raised. "Or are you just a lazy little bum who doesn't like to work?"

His eyes looked incredibly focused after hearing her oddly guiltless words, confusing the heiress to no avail. "Don't tell me that also includes your under-"

"Do you want to get clocked for real?" she threatened before he could even finish spouting out that question.

"J-Just kidding." he could subtly feel a cold bead of sweat trailing through his right temple as his girlfriend's chillingly dark aura ceased to calmly subside.

 _Beep. Beep. Beep._

At that moment, his phone deeply ringed within the tightest depths of his warm, lint-ridden pockets like a broken little buzzer, much to his annoyance. _Please, don't let it be you, old man._ The beansprout mentally prayed as he blindly reached for the obnoxiously boisterous device. _Please don't let it be you..._

"Darling?" The heiress called out, giving him that ominous look of concern as the gadget continued its electronic jingle. "Aren't you going to get that?" she pointed out.

"Yeah." Raku shakily replied with his hands still fumbling like butterfingers. "You go on ahead, Honey. It'll be quick..." Despite of his efforts, his voice failed to sound as reassuring as a steaming cup of warm coffee. "...I promise."

 _Beep. Beep. Beep._

"Oh, no. I'm definitely not going anywhere without you." The heiress seriously muttered out as she carefully studied his visibly pale and sweaty face like a scribbled out whiteboard. "Not until I know who in the world is calling you right now."

"It's probably my old fart." Raku explained as he finally managed to take the blaring phone off his pants.

"Your old...fart?" her head cutely tilted sideways as she pondered with curiosity. "Don't you mean your dad, right?" she asked.

"Probably." The lad briefly emphasized, promptly correcting her with his free hand slightly raised as he intently stared into the phone's miniature LED screen to see who the hell it actually was. "Wait...isn't that..."

The heiress couldn't just shake off that unnerving feeling the beansprout's weak, trailing voice gave her, so she decided to directly take matters into her own hands. "Show me." she anxiously commanded as she began briskly marching towards her boyfriend with her heart gradually racing with each forced step. Honestly, this crushing paranoia is absolutely killing her. And the funny thing is, she doesn't even know if it's even worth fussing for.

Just before she could take it off his hands, Raku immediately flashed it over her face like a wanted poster without even hesitating. "Should I answer it?" he inquired after taking a few agitated gulps.

 _Beep. Beep. Beep._

The heiress didn't really know what to do at this point. Of course, she could just tell him not to do it and move on with her life, but that would only make her feelings even worse. Knowing that the beansprout formerly had a huge crush on her close friend, she couldn't afford to let her guard down even for the slightest bit. Not now, and not ever.

"Do it."

"Are you serious?" he exclaimed as the cellphone continued to endlessly blare within his clammy palms. "I just rejected her today! I can't just talk to her after breaking her-"

"But she called you." Chitoge plainly stated, abruptly cutting him off. "Hanging her up before she could even have the chance to talk to you would only hurt her even more. Just do it. Please..."

"Fine."

 _Beep. Beep. Bee- Click._

* * *

Pressing the phone against his ears, the lad could hear a familiar voice calling out to him. And it sounded both pissed off and insanely frantic.

"Senpai? Ichijou-senpai?! Answer me, goddammit!" It impatiently barked over the phone like an angry dog, unknowingly hurting his ears.

"Haru?" Raku reluctantly replied like he's guessing. "What are you doing with Onodera's phone? Is there something going on with her right now?"

"Senpai! Onee-chan...she's-!"

* * *

 **A/N**

 **I know all too well that it's a bit too late for me to actually say it, but I'll just go ahead and do so. Belated Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year, everybody. Well, now that I've finally got that off my chest, there's actually one more thing I needed to say to you all, my beloved readers: I'm extremely sorry for the abysmally long wait. I know you guys are positively tired of waiting for another update for the last 3 and a half weeks straight, and I feel absolutely horrible for wearing you guys out.**

 **But to tell you the truth, I was actually working on this chapter this whole time, without taking any breaks. And yes, this is the end result out of over, I shit you not, 5 discarded drafts, completely filled with my blood, tears and sweat. And forgive me if it wasn't really worth the all of the tiresome waiting. But I honestly hoped you enjoyed it regardless.**

 **You see, guys, my writer's block finally kicked in again. Newsflash: It feels absolutely terrible, I'd rather have a migraine. Seriously, I've actually spent over 4 hours each day editing the same short wall of text over and over again until I finally get it right. But guess what? I can't get satisfied with what I end up cooking up...due to the fact that my inner critic keeps on telling me that I needed to revise it again, and that a few words are too simplistic, that they needed more tweaking.**

 **As you've noticed, this chapter consists mostly of dialogue. That's because I'm actually applying a new format when it comes to characters conversing with one another, one that I should've used sooner. I'll have to thank both Ornstein the Dragon Slayer and Avihmed Enhanced for the useful advice they've given me.**

 **By the way, I'd like to thank you all for the 25 faves and 42 follows. I'm actually really touched to see my flimsy little fic grow into something this big, and it's all because of you guys. Don't you ever think this story is dead, because it ain't and it will never be. In fact, I'm actually focusing on making the best quality chapters I could write until it's inevitable conclusion.**

 **I know I've promised to give an individual shout out to all of you. But I'll have to make you guys wait once more. It's like 1 in the morning here, and I've been lacking most of my sleep due to the fact that I've spent most of my time baking this up, and actually, there are a bunch of assignments yet to be done. I sincerely hope you guys would understand. What am I even babbling about? I know you guys do.**

 **Well, this has reached over 6000 words now, so I guess I'll have to end this author's note right here. See you guys in the next chapter.**


	8. Chapter 8 - Shoes of Glass (Part 1)

**_"Guilt is the source of sorrows, the avenging fiend that follows us behind with whips and stings." - Nicholas Rowe_**

* * *

 **Chapter 8 - Shoes of Glass (Part 1.)**

 _What have I done?_

Ears mercilessly resonating aloud like the rapidly earsplitting bells of an mechanically out-dated alarm clock, the beansprout carelessly dropped the phone from his slippery grasp upon having to go through the utter misfortune of hearing her undoubtedly grim albeit brief collection of sore words.

 _Haru..._ Raku thought to himself as the invariably boisterous cellular device callously clattered against the broad and rough pavement sitting right below him. With the blood slowly draining away from his pale cheeks, his dark-indigo eyes widened with a trivial mix of fear and worry as a single meager trail of cold sweat seamlessly slid through the smooth surface of his well-chiseled neck, much like a snail to a bushy leaf.

"What the hell's going on back there?" Chitoge immediately inquired, brows furrowed out with disturbance and concern as she rigidly grabbed a hold of his steadfast shoulders, only to vigorously shake them like a pair of empty tumblers right afterwards. "Hey, darling!" she desperately called out to him once more, voice cracking up as her supple lips tingled with the heiress' tone growing slightly more impatient by the boundlessly running second. "Darling!"

An overwhelmingly intense rush of sheer guilt immediately invaded the hollow insides of his swiftly palpitating heart as his trembling pair of hands tightly clenched themselves into a duo of sturdy fists.

"I have to go." The beansprout reluctantly stated, taking in a few harsh gulps to the throat as his nervous gaze tethered themselves into his girlfriend's constantly wavering eyes. "I know this may be a bit too sudden for you; but there's something I really needed to fix, and I need to do it now." he vaguely explained, with his frail shaky voice ridden with utmost urgency.

Like a dazed princess to the wake of the freshly devastated ruins of an ancient castle, the young heiress never really knew the true reason behind that abruptly enfeebled reaction of his; and to tell you the undeniably painful truth, that's what actually scared her out of her wits.

As ridiculously paranoid as it really sounds, the meager act of simply saying that Chitoge absolutely hated the idea of her boyfriend aimlessly treading into the open gates of another girl's humble abode alone like the universally dense gnat he is, especially if that very girl still harbors some strong romantic feelings for him actually felt like an colossal understatement to the heiress' highly concentrated infusion of subconsciously and subsequently spiraling emotions.

And to think that the beansprout formerly had a huge crush on the saintly brunette for a really long time, heck, eons before he had recently met her a couple of years ago only fervently kindles the verdant flames of her ever ascending anxiety, thanks to the rather recent remnants of Marika's inconveniently forked tongue acting as its unwanted catalyst, that is. Sure, the heiress may be his girlfriend and all, but still...why can't her stomach stop turning?

"W-Wait." she quickly muttered under the sultriness of her breath, nervously biting the bottom half of her supple lips with the lass' beady sky blue eyes partially opened like a pair of fluttery blinds. "Can't you at least tell me what's actually going on right now?"

Instantaneously regretting every single word which swiftly jutted out of the tip of her tongue, the heiress' heart seemed to relentlessly pound out of the trifling confines of her rapidly rising chest a likened to that of an unstably rogue prisoner raving about amidst a severely cramped prison cell the moment she sincerely peered into the beansprout's steadily wavering and remorseful eyes.

"I-I can't." Raku immediately responded with the brittleness of his voice. "I just...can't."

"Why not?" Chitoge promptly inquired, antsy eyes frantically blinking about like a triad of headlights as the ocular pair gradually widened with a sliver of annoyance hidden within her somewhat jittery tone. "Surely there's absolutely nothing really steamy going on between you and Kosaki-chan, right?"

"Huh? No, of course not! What're you even...eh?"

"..."

Much to the beansprout's utter surprise, a thick and fluffy trail of white steam aimlessly sprung out of the heiress' pilose scalp as the latter's luscious lips tingled once more. "Oi, Chitoge!" he unanticipatedly called out to her with the unstable tone of his voice marginally raised to the verge of shouting. "C-Chitoge?"

"I'm fine!" she exclaimed, letting out a high-pitched squeak, formerly pasty cheeks now deeply flustered with embarrassment as she buried her face into the broad surface of his chest. "I'm fine, darling, honestly! It's just that-"

"No, you're clearly not." Raku directly retorted, abruptly interrupting the heiress' unreasonably hectic and unfinished assortment of words with his arms lightly wrapping around the delicately smooth rims of her tiny waist like the comfortably snug trappings of a warm blanket. "Well, at least I think you aren't. Look, your face clearly says it all, kinda like a canvas crudely dipped in green paint, actually."

"You can say that again... _Picasso_. Seriously, that absolutely sounded corny and I'm not lying." whimpered Chitoge. "Of course there's something wrong with me! It's just that I couldn't properly pinpoint it all out, so..."

"So?" The beansprout inquired. "Hmm. Ah, I get it. Surely it has something to do with what I've just told you a few minutes back, isn't that right?"

"Err, um...no?" The blonde winced, as if she's unsure of what she's saying. "Well...probably?"

"W-What kind of answers are those?"

"A pair of rhetorical questions, obviously! Look, I'm trying my very best to act natural here."

"Well, I'd hate to break it to you, but...you're failing at it miserably."

"Ugh, I know! Damn, you don't need to spell it all out for me, idiot. It's not like I desperately needed it or anything."

What in blazes is she even babbling about? Of course, he needed to. In fact, those were among the hundreds and thousands of words in which the heiress desperately yearned to hear from his moving lips, albeit subconsciously _—_ words that actually showed he cared. After all, the very thought of the beansprout meticulously noticing even the slightest tidbits of change simmering deep within her soul despite of his incredibly dense nature actually felt rather comforting than aggravating, to say the least.

"Yup, you definitely needed it as much as your precious bananas, Ms. Gorilla." stated Raku, with a subtle smile finally etched across his face.

"Eh? Am I really that much of a dead giveaway?"

"Well, isn't that last sentence of yours some sort of overly used trope often found in a good number of comic books and anime? Though I wouldn't recommend using it whenever you're trying to hide something away from me, catching you red-handed would be a piece of cake."

"Hmph, now look who's talking big..." mumbled Chitoge. "Mr. Hypocrite."

"What the- What else can I say?" The beansprout inquired, thumbs softly grazing against the bottom of his hairless chin in a way which made him look like he's actually thinking hard. "Hmm, what was it called again...Suspiciously Specific Denial?"

"Wait, you're implying something strange, aren't you?"

"No, not at all...well, not really. To be completely honest with you, there's actually something I've been meaning to ask you about."

"And what would that be? Spit it out already, will you? Geez, I don't really know why, but the suspense you're giving out is making me delirious..."

"Perhaps you're just too scared of what I'm about to say."

"Yeah, maybe I am..." the lass said, breathing into the freshly cold air surrounding them as she fervently looked into his eyes with a sudden jolt of bravery washing over her. "...or maybe I'm not."

"Go on..."

"You see...ah, fuck. How the hell am I going to put this?"

"Um, since you're having a pretty hard time explaining things by cussing in between words, do you want me to go first?"

"Nope. Gosh, that was a bit too rushed, isn't it? I guess I've gotten a pretty good idea of what I'm actually feeling right know, so you don't have to go out of your way to make some strange assumptions based on your extensive research on various media or some shit like that, plus, it's common courtesy for the ladies to dive first into the fray no matter what happens, so..."

"You know, you shouldn't be afraid to speak your mind, even if it sounds stupid. Heck, the woman I'm in love with used to do that frequently. You know who in the world that is more than anyone else, right?"

"...Right." nodded Chitoge with that faint and peaceful smile of hers gradually curling up upon her pinkish lips.

"You see, I think I'm jealous, Raku."

* * *

 _ **"Sometimes I'm terrified of my heart; of its constant hunger for whatever it is it wants. The way it stops and starts." - Edgar Allan Poe**_

* * *

About 30 minutes ago...

The tight and shallow insides of her empty stomach growled aloud like a ravenous tiger, yet the brunette just couldn't afford to bring herself to take even a single minuscule bite to eat.

No, don't get her wrong, the food itself was indeed delicious...well, it _looked_ and _smelled_ like it really was; A thick and healthy-looking mound of vegetable curry gently poured on top of a freshly steaming mountainous pile of white rice with some of those crispy-looking store-bought breaded pork cutlets conveniently sitting at the bluntly circular edges of the heavily decorated ceramic plate _—_ what's not to like?

"Dig in!" beamed Haru, snappily untying the laces of her frilly apron as she enthusiastically placed it on top of the broad wooden table before her with a single light clatter, much like a overly hyped waitress in a maid cafe. "Don't tell me you're going to skip this one too?"

"No! Of course, not!" The brunette instantaneously replied with those undoubtedly puffy chocolate-brown eyes of hers lightening up like a pair of blinkers, forcing up a tight fabricated smile which slowly peeled up against her marbled teeth. "I could clearly see the amount of effort you've put into it, so I can't just put it to waste, can I?"

"Well, you can tell that to those freezing batch of rice balls sitting in the fridge," The mini brunette desperately let out a comical snicker in an attempt to lighten up the mood, and it felt really awful for her to do so, judging by the situation at hand. "I bet those sticky little things would even make Ichijou-senpai fall to his knees. Such a scene would look absolutely magical."

"Though I doubt that eating a bunch of poorly made rice balls could actually hurt him..." stated Kosaki, eyes darting towards her little sister with a look of concern etched on the smooth and pasty surface of her face. "And I honestly wouldn't want to see him gag for mercy. That would be too hard for me to watch."

"C'mon, it wouldn't look _that_ bad. After all, little bit of food poisoning wouldn't really pack that much of a punch by the end of the day, right?"

"It's called 'food poisoning' for a reason, Haru-chan. Jeez, it's like you're the tiny devil that sits on my shoulder or something like that."

"You and your pesky moral compass..." Haru grumpily mumbled with her arms deeply folded into bent knots. "Pfft, yeah, right. As if I'm going to let myself get overly worked up over something that could be easily fixed after some time."

"Fix?"

"Yeah, you've heard that right, Onee-chan. Though it won't be super easy to pull off within a single try."

"I don't want to rain on your parade or anything, but your vagueness is off the charts. Does it have anything to do with the rice balls? Or..."

"Um, no. Look, I know this may sound really crazy, but I'm definitely going to find a way to smoothen things out between you and Senpai. And I'm not taking 'no' as an answer."

"Eeehhh?"

"What? Isn't that what you've desperately wanted?"

"Of course, it is! I would literally give anything in the world for that to happen, for _us_ to happen, but...I wouldn't want you to resort to a lot of things that could cause a truckload of trouble for the rest of us. Promise me that. "

"Oh?" The mini brunette looked at her sister with amazement, mouth fashionably gaping as a rush of selfless determination completely washed over her. "I know who you mean't by that, and I'm not going to be the only one doing all of the dirty work for you, Missy."

"Didn't you hear what I've just said?" scolded Kosaki. "I've told you not to-"

"Don't sweat it. Well, sure, he may be crushing on somebody else, but the game's not over if that pompously degenerate chauvinistic pig doesn't have a girlfriend yet." stated Haru with a smile. "In other words, you can definitely change his mind while the clock's still ticking, though you need to act fast, and I mean, _really_ fast."

"And what do you have to do with all this?" The brokenhearted brunette inquired with the brittleness of her own gentle voice, stumpy pearl-shaped tears seamlessly trailing down the smooth surface of her searingly supple cheeks like the unstably rocky edge of an endlessly flowing waterfall. "Heck, why are you even trying to make things even more complicated between Ichijou-kun and I?"

"That's because I love you both, Onee-chan!" exclaimed Haru, lips now pursed as she deliberately held back her seemingly imminent tears. "And I don't want to selfishly think that I still have a fighting chance to finally hook up with him!"

"W-What do you mean by that?"

"Hey, do you know the true reason to why I've knocked on your door a few minutes ago?"

"I wasn't really paying attention during that time, so...no, I don't."

"I see. Since I've already brought out the topic altogether, let me tell you something you never even knew...not until now."

"...H-Huh?"

"I'm also in love with Ichijou-senpai."

* * *

 _ **"The world is not a wish granting factory." - John Green**_ _, The Fault in Our Stars_

* * *

She nervously stood there, right in front of the broad bathroom mirror, breathing heavily through her tiny nostrils with a severely distressed look on her face. Her rich sunset-orange eyes widened with utter disturbance as she immediately noticed the short sticky trail of blood which slowly dripped at the left side of her soft pursed lips.

The metallic taste of her own blood immediately filled her constantly wet tongue, which swiftly caused her to relentlessly gag and spit upon the cold ceramic sink sitting half a meter below her. It slightly hurts; that rough and jagged sensation that abruptly filled up the insides of her hollow dried-out throat as she forcefully let out a rather good number of unrefined coughs. Her thin shoulders ached as her sweaty palms pressed themselves against the cold walls beside her.

Great, now she's fairly exhausted and completely drenched in cold sweat. And to think that she had already gobbled up those horrendous amounts of colorful pills her family doctor prescribed a few hours back...no, that's certainly not it. This was possibly something completely different from her typical condition. And of course, this immensely scares her to no end, to the point that she would completely lose her composure.

"It's not working..." Marika quietly mumbled to herself as a large pool of salty bitter tears began to leak out of the sickly ginger's sullen eyes.

Her skinny pair of supple hands trembled like shaking leaves as they completely masked away the smooth pasty surface of her beautiful face. "It's...It's not working!" she hysterically exclaimed as her feeble knees suddenly hit the polished floor with her voice now tensed out like a pile of dried cement. "Why?..."

The ginger-haired lass couldn't help but mutter out that incredibly brief question into the blank, dimly lit void that is her ceiling with her long nails mildly scratching her sweaty temples, with the gaps between her fingers making it look like a brittle cage. "I don't want to..." Marika weakly declared as she stubbornly shook her head in denial. She probably had no idea how vulnerable and powerless she looks at that particular moment, and if she did, she wouldn't just blindly accept that truth. "I don't want to die all over again..."

* * *

 **A/N**

 **Hey, guys. Looks like I'm finally back from the seemingly endless underworld that is a 2 month hiatus, I guess. I know this may sound really confounded to hear, but during these past few weeks, I've been very busy with cram school. Well, that may sound like the oldest excuse in the book, but it clearly isn't. Oh, and by the way, that isn't the only thing that slows me down when it comes to making a weekly update or something.  
**

 **Heck, if my homework and various tasks and chores never existed in the first place, I would've been on a constant roll every single day, and that I wouldn't have to go through the trouble of searching how to cure writer's burnout on google search.**

 **You see, I've split this measly chapter into 2 separate parts, each jam packed with 3000 plus words in total. And yes, whether you liked it or not, this isn't the typically long 6000 word chapter, and to be completely honest with you, I felt absolutely terrible for doing this. I know I've probably said this over a million times, but you guys deserve only the best content, and I really hope that this chapter would be competent enough to satisfy your reading needs as I proceed to the next part of this chapter.**

 **With that detail aside, I'll have to get real with you guys right now: I'm actually scared.**

 **Anxious? Unconfident, or Insecure even? I don't really know how to describe this sort of feeling, or feelings, but I actually fear for the consistency and quality of my work. Heck, every time I'm in the middle of writing this draft, I would always find myself thinking that this whole wall of text isn't good enough and that it isn't even worth the wait for those who have been faithfully following the story. I know, I think my perfectionism when it comes to writing definitely has crossed the line. But for some reason, I still need it.**

 **I am sincerely grateful for all of the support you guys are giving me with this story of mine, and to be completely frank with all of you, the amount of hits it gets within a few weeks is massive. Once again, (Like in every author's note I've ever given so far,) thank you all for the 44 faves and 68 follows! I know I may not be the best writer, but I'll try my very best and give it my all when it comes to enhancing your literary entertainment.**

 **Well, looks like I've said what I've wanted to say after being rather silent for an allotted amount of time. So I guess I'll have to end this author's note. Looks like I'm signing out for now. And once again, I'll be seeing you guys in the next chapter.**


	9. Chapter 9 - Shoes of Glass (Part 2)

**_"The most merciful thing in the world, I think, is the inability of the human mind to correlate all its contents." - H.P. Lovecraft_**

* * *

 **Chapter 9 - Shoes of Glass (Part 2.)**

"You see, I think I'm jealous, Raku." stated Chitoge with a brittle, glassy smile lightly laced through the surface of her lips much like lip gloss, letting out a slightly embarrassed giggle as her delicately pale fingers sheepishly ran through the thickly shimmering strands of her precious golden locks. "No," she continued, swiftly nodding her head in denial with her sky-blue eyes slightly narrowed to the brim. "I _am_ jealous. I mean, by a hundred percent."

Meticulous, extravagant...beautiful; a flattering triad of all positive factors that are in fact nothing but a flurry of unworthy understatements to the gangster heiress' insanely captivating beauty. Heck, even the beansprout couldn't even make out the perfect word which possibly lurked within the delicately thin pages of a dictionary to suitably describe his girlfriend as of that fraction of a second... Well, if it weren't for the dense bastard carelessly dropping his phone towards the ground like the clumsy bloke he is, Raku would've seized the moment, donning the scenery as the source material for his new lock screen. Heh, as if the blatant use of technology would be more than enough to preserve the mood.

Wait, why is he even thinking about something so awfully casual at such a worrisome time like this? Shouldn't the beansprout be on his way towards the Onodera residence by now before a lot of things get way too awry for him to possibly fix? After all, emotional scars are indeed the hardest ones to mend, and of course, he wouldn't want to be the central cause of someone else's personal Elysium of heart-wrenching sorrows...eh, even exacting the meager act of thinking about such depressing things would only make him feel like the biggest hypocrite the world has never seen.

"Hey," Sparkling starlit eyes flaring up like a pair of azure cinders, cheeks deeply flustered with her hands tightly clenched, the heiress frantically called out to the young lad as he idly stood before her, pondering about with a nervous expression subtly etched across his face. "Don't you _ever_ leave me hanging like that after having to go through the act of saying something so unimaginably embarrassing, you stupid-ass beansprout!"

"S-Sorry!" he swiftly responded with his arms raised like he was caught stealing something. "I was just...thinking hard about something else."

"Oh, wow. 'S _omething else_ '?" inquired Chitoge with that typical bitter-sweet tone of conspicuous sarcasm sizzling deep within that shaky high-pitched voice of hers. "Yeah, sure. Just like what you've said at the park yesterday, there are indeed a fuck ton of 'somethings' that are far more important than how a woman relays her deepest and darkest feelings to the one she cares about the most. Idiot, now's not the time for that super-dense black hole of a mind of yours to go flying overseas to go looking for a decent job at Walmart."

"Chitoge, I-"

"Darling," she immediately called out to him, abruptly cutting him off right before the beansprout could even finish whatever he's about to explain to her as the heiress gently caressed his lightly flustered cheeks. "would it kill you to take me with you? If that's the case, I would be willing to kill you over a thousand times."

"This isn't some kind of 70's platformer, you know. " muttered Raku as he darted her a look of pure hesitance. "And plus, you can't just go bu-"

"Butting into your own problems, right? Of course, I can. I know this may seem too much for me to say, but I'm your girlfriend, Raku. And knowing that alone makes me think I can do absolutely anything."

* * *

 ** _"It's hard to let go of someone who gave you so much to remember." - Anonymous_**

* * *

"I'm also in love with Ichijou-senpai."

Damn. And believe it or not, that statement was actually one of the hardest things she's ever said in her entire life...yet the words just slipped right out of her tongue into the unseen air like they never meant anything at all. Seeing those thick streams of warm tears involuntarily trailing through the warm surface of her mildly glowing cheeks as her lips quivered, watery light-brown eyes widened with her body on the verge of flinching, you can clearly tell how scared she was as her neck stiffened.

Fear; is that really the best word to describe it? That warm shivery sensation which gently crept throughout the soft flesh-colored patches of her fair skin like that of a spider to a wall? The incessant chattering of her small slightly uneven rows of teeth? The sudden blankness present within her head? Probably not. After all, who would get their pants wet out of telling someone that they mutually share the same love interest?

Her.

And of course, a few other of those frail cowardly chumps such as herself scattered across every corner of the globe. But despite of being fully aware of that indisputable possibility, Haru just couldn't shake off that particular feeling of being isolated from the rest of the universe. Perhaps this was a common trait shared among the international minority of insecure people sharing the same emotional struggles? Maybe, maybe not. With that being said as the coin clumsily spins, how could she be so sure if the mini-brunette hadn't met each and every one of them in person?

"Eh?"

Her sister's shocked yet brittle voice finally shattered the eloping silence which gradually clouds the atmosphere outside of her deeply troubled mind.

"H-Haru-chan..." the brunette reluctantly called out to her sister before trailing away, cupping the surface of her gaping mouth with the slender rows of her jittery fingers failing to properly do so. "...why?"

"Who knows?" mused Haru, briefly faking out a rather swift smile, only to be followed by a series of loud sniffs. "Maybe I've always hated the fact that I'm silently stabbing you in the back...maybe I've always hated the thought of living with the guilt of liking him more than I should have...maybe I've always liked and hated the fact that I'll have to hurt myself for the sake of your happiness."

"...So, you're doing all this for _my_ happiness?" The brunette inquired once more as she staggered aback against her chair. "Oh, so that's how it is...Haru-chan, look...you don't have to spend all of that time doing such an-"

"Of course, I don't have to, silly!" she exclaimed, subconsciously clutching onto the very last strand of primal aggression slowly welling up inside of her ever passionate soul. "After all, what kind of idiot selflessly sacrifices their own feelings for the sake of someone else? Oh, don't tell me. Could it be one of those cheesy super heroes hiding in one of those old comic books of yours?"

When it comes to her own raw pride, she hated it; the indubitable thought of swiftly crumbling and breaking down right in front of someone else, especially her sister. It's like all that greatly amassed effort of her steadily putting up such a fiercely impeccable bravado of feminine strictness over the past few years ceased to exist in the first place. But putting all of that accumulated hate aside, love is what caused her to do so. In fact, the very concept of love is what actually made her world go round, much like the bounded earth and its gravitational rules.

"Yeah, of course, I don't. But regardless of that matter, I went all ballistic and did it anyways. Stupid, aren't I? Yeah, obviously! I'm nothing but a shameless little hypocrite who couldn't even tend to what she really wanted the most! I'm no better than him, nor anyone else who disgusts me!"

"Would you please stop saying that!?" replied Kosaki with her half-angry voice still muffled by her palms. "Please, promise me that you'll stop saying those stupid things to yourself. Trust me, it wouldn't make you feel any better."

"You see, I...I just wanted the both of you experience the impeccable joys of mutual love , that's all." explained Haru. "It would make me so happy to see you two regularly go on dates, casually kiss, heck, even get married at the right time and place and whatnot. I just wanted to watch you guys from time to time with a smile of my face, knowing that I've put a hand on making that dream come true. And to see you crying in the darkness makes me feel rather..."

"Guilty?" The brunette continued as she bit her lip. "You aren't the one who told me he liked someone else."

"Yeah, and I'm the one who didn't do anything before the situation's gone shitty."

"You didn't know."

"I did." Haru replied, nodding her head as her throat gradually narrowed. "Well, technically. I saw it as a slim possibility, and I didn't do anything about it."

"You didn't want to force him. Even if you did, he wouldn't have liked it and neither would I."

"Let me help you. Even if it's too late, I need to do my part to help you fix this-"

"Nothing can fix this stupid mistake of mine, Haru-chan!" shouted Kosaki as her voice slowly shrunk into the brink of oblivion. "Nothing and nobody can. Not even you..."

"I tried to...but you wouldn't let me." stated Haru.

"No, you've watched, and you've offered your flowery words and your shady services just when the damage has already been done."

"Onee-chan!"

"I'm done, Haru-chan. I'm done with this silly little talk of ours, and I'm done with it all."

* * *

 _ **"You get to the point where you just want to run away from everything. But you can't run. And it's not going away." - Monica Kubena**_

* * *

Kosaki immediately stood up, with her smooth and wet hands gently grazing upon the table's flat and wooden exterior, albeit swiftly but in struggle. Who could even blame the poor lass? Her legs felt like a lanky pair of fiddlesticks due to all that sitting she's done.

"Are you going out?" Haru anxiously asked with the added brittleness stuck in her voice. "If so, are you going to..."

"Yeah, I guess." The brunette sighed as she looked away from her, tears still wet in her emotionally tired face. "Maybe a bit of fresh air is all I need. Don't worry, Haru-chan. I'll finish your curry. Just...heat it up for me when I get back, okay?"

"I'm coming with you." The mini-brunette impulsively stated with her brows slightly furrowed with determination. "I know, it's too late for me to make a difference with your situation. I know it's impossible for me to change the past, and I know I sound like a persistent menace who wanted to look clean and honorable in your eyes, but please, let me watch over you as you did with me. Let me stop you from doing something stupid."

"You know a lot of things, Haru-chan. I get that." Kosaki bluntly replied as she took a quick glance at her little sister right before turning her back on the latter. "But here's what you clearly don't know; I'm a strong woman by my own right, and I can't possibly see myself doing some real damage."

"I'll be an idiot to believe in such nonsense." retorted Haru. "Anyone is capable of doing anything, plus, they have a good set of limbs in their aide. I won't let you get past that door, no matter what it takes. I'd even knock you out if I have to."

"Go ahead." The brunette apathetically replied. "The force of your fists wouldn't hurt as much as the beating of my heart. Maybe I'd forget about that by the time I'll come to. Maybe I'd forget about him, about everything. That alone could free me without even knowing about what happened in the first place. That could fulfill your constant desire to save me from this 'suffering'. Wouldn't that be beneficial for the both of us?"

"Talk about asking me to stop degrading myself! I've never thought I'd say this, but honestly, you're starting to scare me."

"Haru-chan...I'm-"

"Is he really _that_ important to you?" inquired Haru. "If so, are you willing to spend the rest of your life knowing that he chose someone else?"

"What's the point in humoring me with those questions?"

"Onee-chan, just answer them quickly." she sternly demanded. "Look, I get that you're obviously still in love with him, but I need to fully understand the degree of affection you have towards the guy...just to check if it's healthy or not. Plus, doing it would be really easy for you, I reckon."

"All I wanted to do right now is to clear my mind, Haru-chan, to properly asses everything that has happened today." Kosaki stated. "You see, I'm not the kind of person who plans on doing something dirty and devious to solve someone else's problems. I suggest you'd do the same."

"I swear, you aren't as fickle-headed as you are right now."

"Oh? That's probably due to the fact that I wasn't always the rebellious one in the family." The brunette replied as she wiped her face with the silky edge of her sleeves before exiting the room. "Well, I guess a little deviation from my usual self is always a nice thing to do once in a while...if you know what I mean."

"Um, Onee-chan...?"

"What?"

"Do what you must, but I think it's best for you to stay for a little while longer, if that's okay for you." suggested Haru with a glint of nervousness in her tone.

"Believe me, Haru-chan, I'd stick around if I could. But I _really_ need to do this right now. I could find no better solace than that alone." stated Kosaki with an unexpected smile finally etched across her lips. "I'm sure you'd understand."

"There are a lot of things I need to fully understand." The mini-brunette replied. "And that includes you."

"Sure it does. We may cook at the same kitchen, eat at the same table and watch the same programs at the living room, but we _always_ sleep in separate rooms. Remember that."

"Oh, I'll remember that alright." nodded Haru with her seemingly seamless gaze fixated towards her older sister. "I always remember."

* * *

 _ **"If you love and get hurt, love more. If you love more and hurt more, love even more. If you love even more and get hurt even more, love some more until it hurts no more." - William Shakespeare**_

* * *

"Are you sure we're going the right way, Darling?" asked Chitoge. The way she effortlessly sprinted away with her hair parried through the wind made her look like a supermodel rather than an experienced athlete, or possibly a good combination of both.

"Well, you're talking to someone who works there as a part-timer during the weekends. You decide!" replied Raku, who was running a few meters behind her, clearly out of breath as he continued to stare off into the winding path which directly leads to Kosaki's house.

"Can you blame me for being forgetful?"

"If that's the case, you should thank your lucky stars I'm here."

It had been nearly over 9 minutes since they've last left the gates of Kirisaki Manor at full speed. Though their houses are indeed a couple of walks away from each other, walking towards the center of town wasn't even an valid option for them due to how dire the situation has become after all that idle talking they've just did. Well, for all that's worth, at least she got what she wanted...sort of.

The heiress may have gotten the chance to scuttle in with her boyfriend, but would it really be a good idea for her to bust into a brokenhearted girl's place, holding hands with the man who rejected her? That's probably the main reason as to why Raku never wanted to drag her into this squabbled mess of his in the first place. To protect her from his own personal dilemmas; to protect her from himself.

"Just so you know, I'm not really the superstitious type." said Chitoge with a smile. "Plus, talking to bright balls of gas isn't my sort of thing."

"Oh, really?" inquired Raku. "I'm not the only one who knows about that nifty little lucky charm of yours."

"Good." she winked. "They'll all know who unknowingly proposed to me."

* * *

As expected, the netted doors to the shop were indeed closed to the brim, yet the windows sitting at the sides still emanated a rather dim and yellowish glow.

 _They're still awake._ Raku thought to himself as he hurriedly picked up his cellphone. _I'll have to tell Haru before we go_ _—_ _"_

"You don't have to." said Chitoge, cupping the trapped device right before it even reached his ear. Her grip was partially strong; the kind of dexterous strength that feels overwhelming yet restrained at its weakest. "Look, simply calling her up to let us in wouldn't even change a thing. So, the best thing we can possibly do right now is to knock until they answer."

"I've always thought you had a penchant for violence. But it turns out that you're kinda old fashioned when it comes to this sort of thing." The beansprout said jokingly. "You'd normally kick the shit out of that door with your front legs."

"I'm not a fucking horse, you pathetic moron. Jeez, it's not like I'm capable of lifting a small house or something..." Chitoge replied bashfully.

"Of course, you can." informed Raku before heading towards the entrance. "And that's not even a fraction of how awesome you really are."

"Nice save, asshole." she started with a smile. "Back at it again with the constant touching of my insecurities and complimenting them like they're shitty pieces of modern art."

"What're you talking about?" he asked, brows slightly furrowed with confusion. "It's like you're calling The Mona Lisa a piece of crude wrapping paper."

A quick little sigh managed to escape her mouth. "You know what? Let's just get on with what we're supposed to do before we get croaking, shall we?"

"Roger that, princess." The beansprout nonchalantly stated as he gently pressed the surface of the doorbell with the tips of his incessantly shivering fingers. "Back me up when I'm cornered, okay? It's pretty hard for me to go talking to her at a time like this."

"You can do this, Raku." stated Chitoge with her light-blue eyes fixated towards his. "I know you can."

"Hey, what's with the sudden change of na _—"_

 _"Senpai!"_ a familiar voice suddenly called out from the bell's built-in speaker. _"Senpai, is that you?"_

"Haru?" Raku nervously asked right after receiving a series of rough nudges from his girlfriend. "Um, I know this isn't the right time to ask you this, but...can we come in?"

 _"Isn't it pretty obvious? I've been waiting for you for like half an hour. What the hell happened back there?"_

"I've dropped my phone." he explained before exhaling. "Is _she_ okay?"

 _"Oh, you mean Onee-chan?"_ inquired Haru. _"Well, I can't really tell whether if she's currently in bad shape or not. I guess you'll have to go and see her for yourself, and of course, the rest is up to you. I'm sure she'd like that very much."_

"Well, I'm pretty sure I'm the last person she'd want to see right now." The beansprout stated with a glint of sadness in his voice. "You know, after all that's _—"_

 _"Bullshit."_ The mini brunette replied. _"I'm sure she'd like to see you guys at the table. Care to join us?"_

"Um, about that..."

"We'd like to." answered Chitoge swiftly. "I hope we wouldn't be a burden to you."

 _"Not at all."_ affirmed Haru. _"In fact, there are a lot of things I wanted to ask of you, Kirisaki-senpai."_

"And what would that be?" The heiress enthusiastically inquired. "Does it have something to do with how I look? Or..."

 _"Oh, that would be our dirty little secret."_

* * *

 **A/N**

 **Oh, I guess I'm back from the dead, I suppose.  
**

 **Putting that awkward intro aside, I'd like to apologize for the 3 month wait. I'm sure you guys are probably moaning and groaning right now after reading this portion of the author's note, but I'm actually pretty serious about this. I'm truly sorry for letting all of you wait, and for giving you an overused reason as to why it's so.**

 **Look, for the past 2 months, I've been pretty busy when it comes to moving from Japan, settling in a new apartment and enrolling in a university. Well, it may seem easy to do when written on paper, (Well, that's what I've thought.) but in fact, those are 3 of the most tedious things I've ever done in my life. And the funny thing is, all this time I've been desperately trying to find a way to update this story as soon as possible. I hope you'll all understand.**

 **I'm sure you've all noticed some changes when it comes to the summary and the second half of the genres. That's because the tag "Supernatural" doesn't even fit as to where the story's going. Silly me!**

 **I'd also like to thank all of you for your continued support for this story despite of the various hiatuses dragging it into the dust. You guys are the best, seriously.**

 **As for the next chapter, I'll probably update it whenever I'm free. So, since I'm still a freshman, I wouldn't have to worry about that anymore.**

 **I hope this chapter's somehow worth the wait. If you have something to say about this, please, just let me know!**


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